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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27309163">X Chronicles: Lazarus Zero</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyrexWingblade/pseuds/CyrexWingblade'>CyrexWingblade</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>X Chronicles [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rockman X | Mega Man X, Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Megaman X AU, reinterpretation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:36:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>87,185</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27309163</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyrexWingblade/pseuds/CyrexWingblade</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>[continuation of Rise of Sigma] The Maverick threat returns with a vengeance and painful secondary motives just six months after Sigma's defeat. As the war changes from a battle for survival to a race against time, will conflict within the Maverick Hunter ranks defeat them before their enemies can?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alia/X (Rockman)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>X Chronicles [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993861</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A New War</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Air hissed around the metal armor of the hover-bike as its hydraulics sang in chorus, the vehicle twisting and angling around a wind-hewn boulder in the desert. Megaman X’s eyes were sharp as he accelerated past it, a fine cloud of particles gushing up in his wake. Other Reploids came ripping around the corner with him, all mounted on the high-speed ground-vehicles.</p><p>The desert was just starting to cool in the twilight sun as they raced toward their target. The factory ahead loomed up out of the gritty sand like a fortress, and the air howled from blazing waves of firepower swarming off of its sides and the mechaniloids defending its base.</p><p>Emplaced Maverick Hunters were laying down responding waves of fire from the surrounding outcroppings of rock and sandy cliffs, but none could close more than a few hundred meters… save the brave souls on the hover-bikes.</p><p>X juked sharply to his right, letting a cannon-blast shock the ground he’d occupied a core-pulse before. His face never showed surprise, he only raced ahead. The rigid focus in his eyes would have disturbed his friends.</p><p>That was when one of his team shot ahead of him with a holler of confidence. X’s eyes snapped to this comrade in alarm. “Gibdan, don’t!”</p><p>The Reploid, his green armor glistening even in the dying light, laughed as he popped a wheelie with his hover-bike, accelerating harder.</p><p>X growled in frustration, his legs shifting to signal for more power as he tried to catch up. “Warn him about reckless moves, and he pops a wheelie straight into enemy fire!” X’s own armor, clean white and blue with lines of gold, shone brighter as he leaned down and burst ahead.</p><p>Now most of his team was spaced back a dangerous amount, and the explosions from the defending fire of the factory were breaking their formation as they wove and swept to avoid being blown apart.</p><p>Gibdan shouted back, “Don’t worry, boss, I got this!”</p><p>X’s brow creased. “Ease down and get back in formation, G! That’s an order!”</p><p>Then X’s eyes caught the cannon-walker mechaniloid at the gate of the factory twisting straight toward them. It was a hulking beast with two mighty legs, twin heavy cannons where the chest should have been, no arms, and a small head for the beady red optics. It was a mobile gun emplacement more than a robot.</p><p>The mechaniloid braced, almost on its haunches, and fired. Even then it shook the heavy gate behind it from the power of the release.</p><p>“I’ll blow the gate, you guys sweep in after!” Gibdan shouted back, and started to drop from his wheelie.</p><p>He didn’t see the twin cannon shots that were already hurtling toward him.</p><p>X saw it, however. “G, no!” he shouted, and tried to slide without losing speed, reaching out to grab his comrade off his bike.</p><p>His fingers stretched, just shy of the green shoulder armor of the brash Hunter, but the shots hit. The bike erupted as Gibdan’s body was blown in half and apart in one horrendous strike.</p><p>The other Hunters on the bikes faltered at the sight, a few swerving out to avoid crash-flipping outright.</p><p>X had the heat-plume wash over him even as he tried to cringe away. He felt the pieces of his comrade and the vehicle batter and scrape over his own frame and vehicle for an instant before his own bike took the second blast to the rear-drive.</p><p>In that core-pulse, X felt such dark memories resurge. Watching his friend, Zero, die from a self-destruct to save X; the look on this face as he apologized. The blood pouring over X from the human woman, Jessica, whom he couldn’t save from Sigma’s army. The Mavericks he’d fought and torn apart, their bodies hewn or dismembered. The victims of their atrocities, lives broken or ruined… It all swirled in X’s mind, and crystallized around the moment where he killed Vile, blowing Sigma’s right-hand-Reploid away with a point-blank buster-shot to the head.</p><p>Back in reality, his body and vehicle still reeling from the blasts only an instant before, X growled, his eyes dilating toward the factory over his shoulder thanks to the spin-wrench of the shot to his bike.</p><p>Still hovering along at high speed toward the factory thanks to the nature of his vehicle, X snapped his controls so that his bike was forced straight again. He ducked under a fresh pair of shots from the mechaniloid focused on him, then hopped up, surfing his bike as he touched his ear-comm. “Fall back. All Hunters, maintain surrounding formation and await signal.”</p><p>Various affirmations chorused back to him in his internal comm; the other hover-bike-riders swerved off to obey.</p><p>X started to glow, energy writhing into his buster and over his frame like water cascading down stone.</p><p>“X, are you okay!?” Alia’s voice chimed over his internal comm next. She was clearly worried, but kept a professional tone. Anyone would be checking his status after he ordered his support away.</p><p>Still determined, X replied, “No one else is dying today.”</p><p>Alia looked up from her console at Hunter base, her blue eyes tightening. <em>X…</em></p><p>The mechaniloid fired again.</p><p>X back-flipped, arms out, buster trailing light. The twin cannon-shots screamed just over his stomach, chest, and face as his body neatly slipped between them and the back of his damaged bike.</p><p>The bike hurtled ahead as X’s legs arced over his body, and the vehicle took the mechaniloid’s legs out in a fiery shockwave of parts and drive-core overload.</p><p>The upper-body of the cannon-bot crashed down, but it was still aiming, about to fire.</p><p>X landed into a rocket-dash from his boosts straight toward the half-shattered robot, his buster aimed out.</p><p>A shock-wave of purple-blue plasma ripped out as X roared. The back-blast tore up the ground in his wake, the forward wave churning and spiraling toward the mechaniloid like a voracious beast. It struck, and flash-melted the robot into a burning crater of glass on its way to the security gate towering behind.</p><p>For a moment, the plasma-blast seemed to scatter over the door, but it surged through just as X reached it, and he leapt through the glowing hole it left, skidding to a halt on his haunches inside.</p><p>Touching his comm, eyes closed, he asked, “Alia, do you read me?”</p><p>“…Yes, X. The factory has likely been heavily modified, but I’m activating a map for you based on the information we have.”</p><p>His view was overlaid with a holographic model of the entire facility to scale, and a path of halls and structures flashed rapidly for him.</p><p>“That path should get you to the control center. It’s on the opposite side, next to the largest fabrication cell.”</p><p>“Well done, Lieutenant,” he said, and started to run forward. “Any word on what triggered this place going maverick?”</p><p>“Not yet, but Dex and Signas are working on that already.”</p><p>“Good work.”</p><p>“And sir?”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“…Gibdan wasn’t your fault.”</p><p>X dashed, letting his head bow for a moment. “…Thanks.”</p><p>“Alia out.” She sounded hesitantly gentle as she disconnected.</p><p>Blowing a few hovering gripper-bots out of the air as they rushed down at him, X forged ahead.</p><hr/><p>Outside, a hulking Reploid was crouched behind a rock outcropping, tilting his head casually as fire chipped away at his cover near his cheek. Built with powerful arms and legs, a slender lower-abdomen, but then massive shoulders that curved up over his head, he was a blue-green behemoth. His head itself was forward-mounted from a slightly angled neck-base of hefty hydraulics. His face was a vented mask under pale blue eyes and a finned, back-slanted helmet. “Kid sure knows how to overdo it,” he muttered, and snapped his arm into a rotary-missile launcher before twisting out of cover to return fire.</p><p>Another Reploid to his right, also leaving cover to fire back over the rock, chuckled faintly. “You mean charging into a firing line on a bike, or blowing the door open, Depthcharge?” He promptly ducked as more fire shot over him, giving an almost playful ‘oh!’ as he looked up at the shots that nearly killed him. The bladed crescent on his helmet and crimson body armor left him distinct among his comrades.</p><p>“Both, Quickman,” Depthcharge answered before he twisted back into cover himself. He used his comrade’s name like a bad joke. “Reminds me of you!”</p><p>Quickman laughed, then detached his head-cutter, gave Depthcharge a wicked optic-only grin, and snapped up with a twirling flurry. The blade-cutter was thrown wide, glittering into the distance instantly.</p><p>Ducking back down, Quickman continued, “You mean to say: incredibly stylish, skillful, and effective?”</p><p>His cutter flew in from the side of the far enemy firing line, and tore gun emplacements, mechaniloids, and a fare few boulders in half without slowing. The ease of pressure let the entire Eastern line of Maverick Hunters open fire again.</p><p>Depthcharge sighed. “At least you can back up that swagger.”</p><p>Quickman actually made a, ‘hee!’ sound as his hand snapped up, catching the cutter flawlessly.</p><p>Depth looked around the rock again, more somber. “I do wonder what triggered this resurgence in Maverick activity, though.”</p><p>Quickman’s humor vanished, his optics looking blankly out from himself as he remained in cover for the moment. “Why do you think he led the charge himself? He knows this has to be… Sigma’s doing.”</p><p>“You really think it’s making its move so soon? It’s only been six months since X took Sigma down.”</p><p>“Personally?” Quick began, some animation returning to his masked, flat-optic face as he looked over the rock. “I’m surprised it took this long.”</p><hr/><p>Another hovering gripper-bot flew to pieces amidst fire and light as X came leaping down from a higher level. His armored boots banged off the pale gray flooring as he tucked into a roll. Boost-dashing out of his recovery, X’s eyes glanced around, taking in the pale walls, yellow support struts, and the magnetic conveyor pulling parts of gripper-bots along to fabrication houses.</p><p>The Hunter bounded from the top of one fabricator to the next, watching optics, arms, and propellers being added in turn. He watched a fully active gripper come alive and start to rise up beyond the fourth fabricator, and it was already turning around to focus on him.</p><p>X aimed and fired one pulse-blast as he leapt the last gap. It chipped one blade off the gripper’s propeller, and the hapless bot careened off into a wall with explosive force.</p><p>Landing beyond the conveyor, X ran forward, but skidded to an abrupt halt as a gate slammed down in front of him. It was a group of thick, hydraulic pistons, but these were made of green and gray metal armor, not like the rest of the facility.</p><p>“Emergency security gate mechaniloids,” X muttered as his body shimmered and washed over with building power.</p><p>With a full charge, he grunted, lunging into a punch with his buster, firing on impact with the center pillar. It blew apart and liquefied in the same gesture. X didn’t wait for the chunks to cool before he was flying through the hole he made, and dashing on.</p><p>Worker bots joined the battle, he was sad to see. They were little more than bipedal purple pods with tools like proboscis. He ignored most of them, dashing or flipping out of their meager attacks as his blaster took out more grippers and charged to melt-bomb more mechaniloid gates. The few he couldn’t avoid, he destroyed with little guilt. While there was no need to slaughter innocent bots, something with less mental capacity than a normal desktop computer wasn’t worth delaying his duty.</p><p>Still, the coldness of that determination sent a pang through his heart. With a cringe, he leapt over the last one standing in his way, and landed into a hand-flip.</p><p>Next he reached a vertical passage, but as he reached for the ladder, it snap-retracted up into the support struts of the roof dozens of meters above. X blinked, and then leapt to the wall, his legs ramming like pistons as he drove his boot-tips into the metal surface, driving himself up at nearly full running speed.</p><p>That was when the wall he was climbing and the one behind him started to crush together.</p><p>X nearly lost his grip from the first pitch of unnatural motion, but he started to boost-leap up between kick-climbs all the faster. At last, his optics spotted a bot hovering above. It was not a normal gripper-bot, but had a helicopter blade attachment like them. This one’s gripping arms were several times longer, and were ratcheting the two halves of the vertical passage closed. The shear torque its tiny body had to be generating made X a little wary.</p><p>Starting to charge his buster, X dash-kicked skyward, spinning around in a shining spiral out from the wall, and he snapped his arm up at the wall-puller. A plasma wave ripped skyward, ramming X into a reverse spin as energy washed down around him from the release. The bot was erased as the walls halted, and X was thrown enough by his blast to slam into the same wall again.</p><p>He exhaled faintly, grimacing as he clung to the metal wall, and then looked up with determination. “Not done yet. Time to get serious, X.”</p><p>With all four limbs shoving, he threw himself the last few meters of climb he needed, and dashed down the new hall beyond the vertical chamber.</p><p>“X,” Alia’s voice chimed into his comm again. She was grave, “a massive power surge just went off in that large fabrication cell.”</p><p>“More bots?” X asked, a hand to his audio-sensor as he dashed, trading legs in lunging rushes.</p><p>“It’s unified. A single, massive power source. It’s going to be big.”</p><p>X skidded to a halt at the end of the hall. At his feet was a sphere-lock gate leading straight down. The holographic overlay Alia had given him made it quite clear the fabrication chamber was directly below him, but it was a severe drop. Dozens of meters, perhaps close to a hundred. His expression, however, was cold, his eyes heavy. “…Thanks for the heads up. I’m going in.”</p><p>“Yes, sir,” Alia answered, but he could hear the concern in her voice.</p><p>X touched the sphere-lock, but honestly wasn’t surprised when it just whirred to open for him. These doors always invited him in. With no further ado, he hopped lightly into the empty air, and started to drop at full speed down a narrow shaft. Darkness waited below him.</p><p>Air howled around his sensors and his body, almost whistling just before the shaft opened out into a massive cavern of a chamber. A combination of audio sensors and vague glints of light let X know a suspended scaffold platform was below him, and he crashed to his haunches with shuddering force.</p><p>Arms spread over his crouched frame, X raised his eyebrows down at the platform he was on. <em>I’m surprised it survived my landing on it that hard…</em></p><p>Gold light washed over him as a resonating pulse-chime filled the chamber. X straightened, looking up into a pair of glowing optics so large he could have easily fit inside either of them.</p><p>At last the fabrication cell’s lights clicked on in waves down to the floor level still several meters below. A massive mechaniloid was staring down at X. It had an armored, grim head, a massive, bulbous purple body, crushing boots, and massive spiked maces—more akin to demolition balls than weapons—for hands on the end of thick, bulbous arms comprised of linked, armored spheres.</p><p>X grimaced and dashed to his right. The behemoth lurched, swinging its right arm up, over, and down into the Reploid’s platform. X barely leapt into the air in time to avoid the shattering collision that carried the tower of platforms down into the distant flooring.</p><p>Dive-rolling across the next, slightly higher platform, X snapped off a mildly charged bolt and three uncharged shots. The blue spear-like wave escorted the three pulse-blasts into the behemoth’s collar area as it reared back.</p><p>Watching the plasma explosions dance over the thing’s armored frame with mild, evanescing puffs of light, X firmed, and dash-leapt to a further platform, off the mechaniloid’s rear, left.</p><p>The giant twisted around with one thunderous step, the tremor pulsing out through the factory, and actually making the Reploids outside check their feet and share worried or puzzled glances. With both arms swinging, the mechaniloid started to churn through the massive chamber in X’s wake. The relatively tiny Reploid was flitting from platform to platform, a wave of shearing metal always behind him.</p><p>Charging as he leapt and dashed around the chamber, X kept firing purple-blue plasma waves up at the giant’s optics. Most of his shots plowed into the metal beast’s shoulders, neck, or mace-hands, but he saw a few rip through and churn into the thing’s head. It was still heavily armored, but it felt the blows to the head.</p><p>“X! What on earth is going on in there!?” Alia came through his comm urgently.</p><p>Twist-flipping between the right mace-hand and a wall of scaffolding, X touched his audio-receptor. “Alia! Hard to explain right now. Massive mechaniloid! Can you read my location? Can you map me?”</p><p>At her station in Maverick Hunter HQ, Alia’s hands blurred over her console, her eyes ripping along her screens with speed only a Reploid could muster. “Riding your comm signal now that I’ve found it. Mapping… Got it!”</p><p>X’s overlay vision flashed with new data, a wave of golden light passing down all around him, showing the huge room at last, and it’s relation to the ground outside.</p><p>He then had to dive, roll, and boost off the edge of his platform as the mechaniloid wrenched down with a full hand-slam to the ground right through the structure he’d been using. “Alia! I can’t trust my comm in this room. Get Barrel to direct any similarly skilled Hunters outside. I want a perimeter cut four-hundred meters wide, and three-hundred long, starting from the fortress’ East wall!” X shouted the requests as he blitzed and leapt around collapsing platforms trying to get away from the behemoth before it crushed him by sheer luck and magnitude.</p><p>Alia blinked. “…X, that would take hours to--!?”</p><p>“Not for Barrel!”</p><p>“On it!”</p><hr/><p>Outside, Barrel touched his ear, an optic-ridge snapping up. Muttering, “Sheesh, kid, that’s a tall order,” he twisted, and pointed straight through his fellows to a hulking Reploid at the back of their group. They were several hundred meters North of Quickman and Depthcharge.</p><p>“Tunnel Rhino! You’re up. We’ve got a ditch to dig, and we need it done yesterday!”</p><p>The aptly named yellow, green, and silver Reploid didn’t run forward, he rolled forward on tread-wheels in his heels, his right hand a massive drill like his horn, more drills adorning his body already revving to full speed. “On it!”</p><p>Barrel ran out with him, suddenly whirling into a dive roll that intensified so abruptly with plasma shields arcing out of his forearms that he became a living plasma-drill.</p><p>He slammed into the ground, blowing a hole out instantly, and then wrenched to the East. Tunnel Rhino leapt in behind him, but twisted West, and burrowed hard and fast. The ditch was exploding to life exactly as X had requested.</p><hr/><p>“You weren’t kidding, X,” Alia muttered, sincerely agape as she watched two Reploids tear through rock and sand like it was air.</p><p>“Are they done!?” X shouted abruptly.</p><p>“N-not quite, but soon. What’s the pla—” Alia cut herself off, and slammed her hand over her controls to open her channel. “Hunters, check your targets! Incoming from the wall!”</p><hr/><p>Barrel was just arcing up from the last leg of the ditch, unraveling with surprising grace to look up at the wall as it exploded outward. His optics flared. Quickman and Depthcharge gawked out of cover in uncharacteristic shock along with virtually every Hunter surrounding the fortress.</p><p>The giant Mechaniloid was tearing through the wall in mid-lunge, X riding the mace-hand by clinging to one spike on it, and flailing along like a rag-doll. Building-size chunks of metal and armored bulkhead rained down over the field within the massive ditch even as the mechaniloid lumbered up onto the higher level of the dirt ground from its sunken home.</p><p>X simply flipped over the mace as it hit the ground, and leapt free, tumbling into a tight roll, and halting with one hand and knee down, his other snapping into his buster. Touching his comm, he ordered, “Heavy weapons at the optics and head. Tangling or disabling weapons at the legs. Bring it down!”</p><p>He side-dashed instantly, the other mace-hand shattering the ground where’d crouched to give the orders.</p><p>Hails of plasma fire, missiles, and other weapon types started to stream into the behemoth’s head, rattling it and weakening it. Whips, vines, plasma-tethers, and other tricks started to lash out, attach, stick, or spray the massive feet as well. Even Quickman’s cutter glittered past on occasion, slicing grooves into the beast’s armor. X joined the effort, dashing circles around the giant, firing charged waves up at its head as best he could without becoming a sitting target.</p><p>“Why are we taking orders from a B-class Hunter?” a Hunter asked, not so much angry as confused as he unleaded his plasma cannon from his shoulder mount at the giant.</p><p>A Reploid of hefty frame with energy crackling out of cannons on his wrists smirked at his comrade. “You don’t recognize Megaman X, kid?”</p><p>“W-well, I mean, I get he’s a hero, but…”</p><p>“Hero? Yes, but that’s not the point.” Overload rammed his arms forward, and fired a crackling wave of electrified plasma across the field, landing a solid hit straight in the giant’s right optic. “You’re watching the best Hunter still living, kid. He’s technically the same rank as most of us on the field today.” He fired again, less fortunately hitting the massive right arm. “I don’t care. I’ll listen to him.”</p><p>“Got it,” the other replied, firing another blast, smiling.</p><hr/><p>Quickman touched his audio-receptor, but his channel was private. //X, I’ve weakened the armor around his head, but we’re just not hitting hard enough. We need something to generate enough raw force to crack the stress fractures.//</p><p>X’s eyes tightened, and he lowered his buster, though he continued to hold the charge making his body glow. //Understood. I’ve got an idea.//</p><p>Still the giant’s primary target for some reason, X looked up as he dashed low along the ground, and watched the behemoth come rushing down with both fists. Calculating quickly, X dashed again, but then twisted and skidded to stop. The two maces smashed down with thunderous force… the cracked earth stopping just at X’s face.</p><p>The Reploid leapt free, landing on the left-hand mace. As the giant retracted, trying to rise as it was hammered from every side by the Hunter forces, it glowered down at X, who was meeting its gaze with surprising strength considering their relative scales as he stood on the rising hand.</p><p>The mechaniloid tried to whip X off behind itself, but he flipped down, crashing to his haunches on its shoulder. He ducked some friendly fire, but showed no aggravation, and ran up, leaping into the frame of the left optic.</p><p>“Right here!” he shouted at the giant’s gaze.</p><p>The beast gave a mechanical roar beneath it’s armored mask, and started to flail around, trying to swing X off of its head.</p><p>In a mad dance, X flipped, twisted, writhed, and coiled around the giant’s head as it swung wildly, firing small blasts into its armored skull from every angle as he did. “What’s wrong? I’m right here!”</p><p>A massive blast from one of the Hunters below caught the giant right in the forehead, and it actually reared back. X swung back into its gaze, aiming point-blank at the optic while charging.</p><p>With another roar, the giant swung its left mace up and in at its own face.</p><p>X seemed to ignore the problem, but then dashed leapt to his right, into the open air.</p><p>Everyone watched as the behemoth shattered its own head with catastrophic force, the mace driving down into the neck and upper back like a meteor hammer.</p><p>X’s colors changed, and he unleashed a fully charged tornado around himself, gently touching down on the ground with its help, crouching to one knee as his colors reverted.</p><p>The beast’s body gave a dying moan, and started to collapse back into the factory as it exploded in waves and patterns, its core systems overloading from the back-charge of the head vanishing.</p><p>Before the ground was even done shaking from its crash, the Hunters were filling the air with cheers and hollers of victory.</p><p>All except X and his secret comrades, the X-Hunters. Barrel, Quickman, Overload, Depthcharge, and Deep Freeze, Shimmer, Inferno, and Airstrike were all scattered through the small army, sharing grim looks if they could catch each other.</p><p>X looked over his shoulder, stern as his buster reverted. <em>Too big to just be a random outbreak. He’s on the move again.</em></p><hr/><p>A holo-sphere showed the battlefield, and particularly focused on Megaman X as he stood up, dusting himself off a bit. As the Hunter touched his ear and started to talk to someone, a voice spoke from the audience of the strange display.</p><p>“Their leader in the metal. Megaman X. More clever than I’d postulated…” Serges trailed off as his pale hand articulated out and shut the sphere off. Dull lightning returned to the dark gray metal room, consoles lining the walls.</p><p>Violen, a red and white behemoth, added in his thick, strong voice, “Those who underestimated him are nothing but scrap. Did you expect the Hunter who defeated Sigma to be easily fooled?”</p><p>And a third voice, silk-smooth compared to the others, but cold as ice, “We won't make the same mistake. He is powerful, but he is blind to what is happening around him.” Agile smiled faintly at the wake of the holo-sphere, his hands clasped behind his narrow back, his purple armored skin fashioned like a tail-coat.</p><p>Serges focused his mismatched, crimson optics on the thin one, “Is he? The information leaked to their Dr. Cain only indicated an isolated infection, yet X chose to respond with an army.”</p><p>Agile’s silken voice was silent for a core-pulse, then added, “Our Mavericks will keep him busy until we are ready.”</p><p>Serges turned, walking between his colleagues, and continued, “We hope. Collection is on schedule, but the core components are missing. The system buffer and personality matrix chip.”</p><p>Agile and Violen firmed, Agile adding, “We have little time. We must finish construction on schedule. We must hurry…”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Imperfect Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dr. Cain’s eyes were tight as they reflected the holographic display over the table in front of him, a hand stroking his long, frosty beard. Alia stood at the left side of the table from him, datapad in the crook of her arm, with Dex at her side. The faceplate-armored Reploid was entering data into the table’s console. Opposite was Signas, already wearing officer markings in the few short months since Sigma’s fall.</p><p>Their grim attention was pulled to the door of Maverick Hunter headquarters’ command center, X walking through briskly. Parts of his armor were still scuffed and dented from his foray through the factory. “Please tell me we know something, and that I’m cleared for it?”</p><p>Signas’ expression was unreadable beyond his optics following the legendary yet B-class Hunter. Alia tried to offer a gentle smile, but remained silent with Dex for the moment.</p><p>It allowed Dr. Cain to respond, his hand falling from his beard to rest on his cane’s handle with the other. “Indeed, X. There’s no reason to exclude the hero of the hour. Lieutenant Alia and her comrades were just starting their report.”</p><p>X tipped his head, and stood opposite the doctor, hands on the edge of the table. Alia was struck by the sudden maturity etched through the Reploid’s face, and the strangely heavy weight that seemed to press down on his relatively small frame. “Please continue?” he asked, optics on her.</p><p>Alia nodded, and raised her datapad. Dex started typing again. “The important parts are as follows: the factory’s activity was normal until a data-access from long distance seventy-two hours ago. At first there was no cause for alarm, which is why we weren’t called for the first forty-eight hours. That contact originated from a cybernetics facility from an island several hundred miles North, in the ocean, near the polar region.”</p><p>The holotable, thanks to Dex, whirled across a hybrid satellite and topographical, 3D map, revealing the vaguely rectangular island, and its rather conspicuously green, hilly geography.</p><p>Signas spoke up at this point, his smooth voice utterly calm. “It was a hub of scientific research up to about five years ago. The entire island. A financial crash forced investment out, and it all but collapsed as a small country. Beyond some pockets of civilian population still living there, nothing has come out of that island since Sigma launched his attack.”</p><p>X shared a meaningful gaze with Signas for a core-pulse, then looked to Alia again, “Not that it matters, but why isn’t the place iced over?”</p><p>Alia actually gestured to Dr. Cain, who answered, “Weather-control experiments focused on terraforming inhospitable environments for greater civilian use. They proved difficult to mass-produce, so it was reduced to a quirk of the island. It actually has several distinct environmental zones otherwise impossible on an island of its size and location.”</p><p>X tipped his head. “Do we have the cybernetics facility’s location?”</p><p>Dex looked up finally. “Yes, sir. Here.”</p><p>The map shifted, highlighting a portion of cityscape near the central region of the island.</p><p>Thunder rolled in the distance. X’s head tilted faintly, only because it took particularly heavy thunder to really penetrate the armored walls of the fortress they called their base. Dismissing it quickly, he nodded to Dex. “Thanks. Dr. Cain? May I ask who we’re sending?”</p><p>The only human present smirked faintly. “Containment first, X. I’m getting authorization from the human authorities to sever that facility’s connection to the network entirely. Neutered, we can then send in a strike force to resolve the issue.”</p><p>It was clear to everyone in the large room that X was consciously constraining his desire to challenge the point. “…Might I request being on that team then?”</p><p>“I’ll consider it, X. You’re certainly valuable for just that sort of mission. For now, however, this is best suited to Alia and her talented team.”</p><p>X relaxed upright, nodding. He gave Alia a smile. He was about to say something when klaxons sounded, and red alerts flashed across the walls. Almost at the same time, the building trembled from a staccato assault of impacts all around its sides.</p><p>Nothing was said yet, because it wasn’t needed. Alia and Dex were at consoles behind Dr. Cain like blurs, the scientist twisting around and marching up after them.</p><p>X and Signas ran out of the room. “The roof!” X suggested quickly.</p><p>Maverick Hunters were scrambling to battle stations, but it was clear no one knew exactly what was happening.</p><p>Alia’s optics widened just as X and Signas burst out onto the roof of the building. Even Signas’ normal composure lapsed into awe.</p><p>The sky was broiling with almost black clouds, sheet lightning streaming through it like waves in an ocean. Fracturing lattices of dancing light were pouring down, berating the city all around them. Claws of it were scraping and crashing into the massive Maverick Hunter base constantly. Disaster sirens were sounding across the city.</p><p>X’s hand snapped to his audio receptor. “Alia! Talk to me!”</p><p>Alia touched her ear as well, “Massive storm system! It’s over the entire city, and I’ve never seen patterns like this! I’m trying to get a scan put together that can make sense of this, possibly get a source!”</p><p>Dex added, “I’m confirming weather reports. This entire system just kicked up within the last hour. I’m networking to meteorological centers, and they’re all lost. This isn’t natural.”</p><p>Dr. Cain’s eyes sharpened harshly. “X… that question you asked…”</p><p>X’s face fell serious as well. “Weather manipulation.”</p><p>Alia had already been working furiously at her console. “…Yes, confirmed! The anomalous weather patterns and pressure currents track all the way back to the same island! It spanned half the planet in less than an hour!”</p><p>Signas glanced over his shoulder to X on the roof. “They didn’t just perfect it, they weaponized it.”</p><p>Then they froze again. Humans and Reploids hurrying on the streets below and throughout the buildings, even within headquarters where they could get a view of the outside, all halted, stunned by horror.</p><p>Tornadoes were swirling into life, churning through lightning, and starting to reach down like voracious worms.</p><p>X’s colors flashed with purple highlights, energy starting to dance over his body. “Alia, Dex, I need a crash-course in meteorological systems. We need to break the storm, and it has to happen now!”</p><p>He was already dashing and leaping off the roof, blasting a charged tornado of his own from his buster.</p><p>As X’s cyclone crashed into and tore apart one of the ones forming from the sky, Signas touched his comm. “Wait, Alia, Dr. Cain, we need that cybernetics facility shut down.”</p><p>X grimaced. “…He’s right. This is a distraction, but we can’t ignore it. Someone get that facility cut off!” He fired another tornado as he leapt across another building, dashing for the next tornado. “And we need support out here. Any kind of wind, pressure, or electrical abilities!”</p><p>Privately, he added, /Airstrike, Overload! Mobilize anyone you can trust! We have to dissipate this storm system!/</p><p>Dex was scrambling his hands over his console. “X, sir, patching you into meteorological databases.”</p><p>Dr. Cain was over at Alia’s console as she started to hack into the network. The human had a comm device at his face.</p><p>“Yes, I know you have a disaster in progress! And if you don’t give me the clearance I need, it’s going to get unimaginably worse! Give us the authorization!”</p><p>Alia wasn’t waiting, and Dr. Cain wasn’t reprimanding her for it.</p><hr/><p>Maverick Hunters were mobilizing across the city. Ones with abilities that could, fired their unique weapons up, disrupting the electric charges, or ripping open wind currents, trying to break the storm system out of its building ferocity.</p><p>Airstrike ripped up through the clouds directly, narrowly slipping between charged masses of lightning, and then swirled around. He unleashed a mini-hurricane around himself, blowing a hole in the storm to the West of headquarters.</p><p>Overload was actually letting lightning hit his open hands, his body thrumming with power, before he sent it hurtling up in shimmering masses into the storm system. The cross-currents of power caused the most alien ripples in the clouds, forcing them to still for a core-pulse before they just shivered apart.</p><p>Others, like Shimmer and Deepfreeze were already rushing civilians to armored bunkers as lightning scattered down the streets.</p><hr/><p>X landed to a hard crouch on a building North of headquarters, looking back across the city. Signas had gone back down into the fortress to help with logistics.</p><p><em>For something this devastating to just be a distraction… what on earth is the virus trying to do now? We have no time. Months of waiting, and we have no time.</em> X view fell down on the streets, watching civilians run in near-panic as human authorities and Reploids tried to help guide them to safety. <em>So many lives put at stake for this insanity.</em></p><p>As he considered the gravity of the situation, his processor was working through the data Dex had routed to him. Dex had even cracked some files from the old records of the experiments from the island. The system was based primarily on manipulating energy currents to create fake high/low pressure wind surges. If calculated correctly, the surge could be guided… creating pin-point weather. The charge in the air was unnatural, too powerful and too caustic.</p><p>X touched his comm as he blasted another tornado apart. “We need a massive electric charge guided into the central matrix of the storm. I’m relaying coordinates across the Hunter network now.” He started to dash and leap across the buildings back toward Maverick Hunter headquarters. His colors snapped, the purple highlights shifting to off-yellow, energy crackling out of his buster. As his body started to glow, he added, “Overload, Volt Catfish, anyone with electrical energy weapons, get to my location, or somewhere you can aim at me. I’m going to redirect that energy into the storm!”</p><p>Alia’s hands stuttered on her console, but only for a core-pulse. <em>He’s going to try to control and direct that kind of energy through his body?</em></p><p>Signas comm’d in as a concerned Hunter, “X, sir, are you sure?”</p><p>X arced into a great leap onto headquarters once again, skidding to a halt. “Completely. Energy absorption and redirection is kinda my thing.”</p><p>That he could chance a bit of humor helped ease the violent tension, and more than one Hunter was starting to smile with some confidence again.</p><hr/><p>Dr. Cain was trying to pay attention, but was focused on his task more so. “Finally! Thank you! You won’t regret it.” He cut off his device, and leaned down beside Alia. “We have full authorization. Code verification alpha-tango, zero-five-eight dash four.”</p><p>Alia smiled faintly. “Just in time to keep me legal. Thanks, Dr. Cain.”</p><p>Her index finger finished the last entry.</p><p>Rushing across the network, through the ocean, and over the island, the glistening computer facility shuddered from a lack of power. Its own generators kicked in soon, but its connection was severed.</p><p>Signas looked up from the holotable where he was helping direct teams of Hunters. “Excellent work, Alia. As always, of course.”</p><p>She smiled over her shoulder at him, but then got up, and started to run out of the room. “Now give me a minute. I need to make sure X doesn’t fry himself.”</p><p>Dr. Cain and Signas blinked at each other, and then Signas twisted. His composure was broken as he awkwardly reached after, then started to chase Alia. “Wait! Lieutenant!”</p><p>“He doesn’t need an operator now, he needs a friend!” she called back.</p><p>Dex only glanced over his shoulder as Signas chased Alia out. <em>True enough, too. He’s already put the data to use. Remarkable, X. From saving me from Boom Kuwanger, to learning how to disrupt a storm system in a few minutes. I wish I had that kind of clout.</em></p><p>Dr. Cain was left looking out grimly, focused on Alia’s screen showing X on the roof, streams of electricity already flowing into the unique Reploid’s tense body. <em>You are certain, though, aren’t you, X? I hope you’re not tossing your life away like you were against Sigma at every turn. Don’t you remember what that kind of brashness cost you?</em></p><hr/><p>Overload leapt up onto a neighboring rooftop, his forearms already crackling with power. “X!” he shouted up to the secret leader of their team.</p><p>X, all but an effigy of energy himself due to the surging power already engulfing his body from the other Reploids helping, turned and reached his buster toward Overload. The other Hunter rammed his arms up, unleashing a blasting torrent of power into X’s waiting arm.</p><p>With six other Reploids feeding power into him, X floated off the roof of Maverick Hunter headquarters, and started to aim his buster up at the charged core of the storm. His view was overlaid with meteorological data, showing a storm of differently colored particles swirling into a spherical shape within the clouds.</p><p>Alia and Signas burst out onto the roof, Alia gaping at the sight.</p><p>X fired. Ring-waves of super-charged energy pulsed out in a concentric pulse just before a surge of energy followed. It was nearly the width of the building itself, rushing up and out, blasting clouds and lightning away, gutting the storm.</p><p>Alia looked on, the power and light glistening in her optics. “Absorbing and redirecting that much power into a storm to counteract its pressure system. He really is amazing…”</p><p>Signas glanced at her. “Not to run X down, as he’s quite a remarkable Reploid, no doubt, but isn’t this really more Dr. Light’s skill paying off?”</p><p>Alia’s gaze tightened, and a faint cringe marked her face. “…I suppose it is, but I don’t think even with a body that could that I’d be so quick to throw myself into a power-conversion of that scale…”</p><p>Allowing himself a private smirk, Signas looked on himself, whispering, “True enough.”</p><p>And it was working. The storm was already softening, smoothing out like an ocean made still by a perfectly placed splash. Dex watched the data on his screen as the charges neutralized, and the particles began to disperse evenly, naturally.</p><p>In just seconds, the sky was clearing, blue atmosphere blinking through wisps of synthetic clouds.</p><p>The Reploids helping X ended their channeling powers. Each of them collapsed in their own ways, Overload down on one knee, a hand to his chestplate as his core tried to recharge his weapon and life systems.</p><p>X’s glowing frame faded, his boots touching the cement roof, and he finally stopped firing. His arms swung down at his sides heavily, his buster reverting to a hand. He watched the storm fully disperse, and started to turn around. His systems blared in protest, his motors whirring and clicking irately.</p><p>Alia watched him turn, concern growing every second. When X’s eyes, haggard and almost glassy from deep exhaustion, met hers, she ran forward, hands out. Dr. Light’s final creation started to collapse, Alia’s white hands catching him, then wrapping around him as a support.</p><p>Signas was there the next instant, both of them easing X down onto his knees.</p><p>“I… think I overdid it… a bit,” X breathed out.</p><p>“You think?” Alia offered, her almost joking tone belying her fear for his safety. “Let’s get you to a repair chamber, X.”</p><p>X grimaced, trying to raise one leg as his hands clenched over their shoulders. “I… need to get to… that island…”</p><p>“X, easy now,” Alia continued, Signas holding steady with her. “You need repairs. You never recovered from the factory battle, and you just channeled a catastrophic surge of power through your systems. Dr. Light’s genius not withstanding, you need the rest.”</p><p>“But that island is in…”</p><p>Signas cut in, “X, she’s right. Listen to her. We’ll make sure you’re included in the mission to the island.”</p><p>Alia smiled at Signas for the help, and added, “I’ll teleport you there myself, X. Please, let us get you to a repair chamber?”</p><p>X at last relented, his head hanging down as his body went limp. When he allowed himself, his body finally agreed with his friends, and knocked him out.</p><p>“Thanks,” Alia muttered to Signas, starting to heft X up higher.</p><p>Signas rose with her. “No problem. He gets too stubborn sometimes. I’ll carry him, ma’am.”</p><p>Alia’s hand touched Signas’ chest, and their eyes locked. “Let me, please.”</p><p>Signas raised an eyebrow, but eased back as Alia lifted X up into her arms, and started to carry him off the roof.</p><p>“I owe him one,” she whispered seriously.</p><hr/><p>“That storm was suppose to cause enough damage to buy us weeks. They resolved it in an <em>hour</em>,” Agile declared, rare anger tightening his narrow face.</p><p>Serges gave his comrade a dry stare, “<em>He</em> resolved it in an hour. No other Reploid could channel that kind of power, and so precisely. Cutting off our network access as swiftly as they did also means they didn’t fall for the gamble in the first place.”</p><p>Agile leaned over the holotable still showing the cityscape with the clear skies, “We need more time!”</p><p>Violen stomped closer, arms crossing over his barrel chest. “We still have our Mavericks.”</p><p>Serges nodded, shutting the table down again. “Indeed. If they’re worth their metal, X will be occupied quite well. If not… we may have to intervene directly.”</p><p>Agile rose up to his full height again. “Which would be an unacceptable risk to the reunification.”</p><p>“Agreed,” Serge rejoined, aggravation rising in his voice. “So let’s hope we chose our force wisely. Now get to work. We have to move the important machinery deeper. They only know about the upper level of the facility, not the core.”</p><p>And the three dispersed.</p><hr/><p>“Hey, sleepy-head.”</p><p>It was a beautiful voice, gentle and fond, like silk brushing over his ears. A warm hand was washing back through his hair as well, coaxing him awake in the most wonderful way.</p><p>X opened his glistening, human eyes, and found Alia looking down at him. No armor framed her beautiful face, or held back her golden hair. She was just smiling down at him, clothed in a soft red dress. “Hi,” X responded softly, a human hand reaching up, and caressing her cheek.</p><p>Alia smiled happily, and tilted her cheek into his palm. They were on a bench, in a park somewhere, a tree softening the bright sun above them with its foliage. X’s head was in her lap, one of her hands gently caressing his short, brown hair. They were both completely human.</p><p>“Dr. Light was looking for you,” Alia explained, her voice still soft and happy.</p><p>X was a bit confused, part of his mind realizing that didn’t make sense. “…How…?”</p><p>The beautiful vision smiled for him again. “It’s okay, X. Wake up.”</p><hr/><p>X snapped online, his body pitching forward inside the restoration module at headquarters. His respirator thrummed with deeper breath as his optics danced around, his mind trying to sort through the confusing, fantastical dream. At last, he calmed, and looked at his right hand. The gloved machinery whirred like a whisper as he closed it into a soft fist. <em>…A dream… I didn’t realize I was feeling it so intensely. I guess I’ve just been dodging the issue so much even my mental processor had to force me to see it.</em></p><p>Alia had always been a wonderful Reploid in his eyes. Despite the horrors surrounding their first meeting, she had always struck him with her strength and determination. And she was practically the smartest person he knew, Reploid or otherwise. It was after losing Zero, and all the secretive work with his team of reformed Mavericks that made X value her friendship more and more. She was really the only person he knew that was trying to reach out to him as a friend no matter the situation. It would have been easy to blame him for Zero’s death, and he knew many Hunters did, but couldn’t argue his success enough to really get nasty about it.</p><p>Yet, Alia never had. He could well believe the thought never crossed her mind with how completely kind she was to him. It was vital to him now, her good opinion, knowing she was alive, well, and a friend to him. If he lost her, too…</p><p>Images of the human woman dying in his arms flashed through his mind, making him cringe and look down to the side. Then Zero’s face just before he made his own core go critical against Vile.</p><p>X’s fist slammed against the side of the pod. <em>I can’t protect everyone. Even when they’re right in front of me… Alia…</em></p><p>As his mind calmed a bit, really only a few seconds passing since he woke up, X realized he felt something with his processor. Something he’d not felt since the war against Sigma’s armies. As the pod opened at last, and he stepped out, his brow creased more.</p><p>Capsules. More modification capsules from Dr. Light. He could feel them with his sensor systems, like dull radar pings. And these were clustered. It was hard to tell how many, because they were all North, far North.</p><p>Confused, X walked over to a console in the bulkhead of the medical chamber. He was alone for the moment, and so he opened the console’s holo-display, and activated a map. He programmed it quickly to show the island from the briefing. His sense of the capsules intensified, as it had for the original four. He reached his hand out, ‘feeling’ the map as his sense automatically adapted to the map data.</p><p><em>Yes… four new capsules. All near or on this island. How on earth could Dr. Light have prepared THIS?</em> His optics tightened at the area where the weather-control facility was located. <em>None of them are near the facility though. Damn, the timing for locating these ones is going to be very tight. Once we’re on that island, I can’t return to the X-Hunter bunker easily. I hope I can afford to wait on picking these up, Dr. Light… and I hope they have enough information to answer some questions.</em></p><p>He closed the console, and as if by cue, his comm beeped. X touched his audio-sensor. “I’m active, what’s up?”</p><p>Alia’s voice pleasantly answered, “Glad to hear it. As promised, I’ve got your transport to the island prepped and ready, X. Feeling up for it?”</p><p>He smiled for several reason, and nodded physically as he replied, “Absolutely. Heading to the transport grid now. …And Alia?”</p><p>“…Yes?” her voice was still pleasant, just gently confused.</p><p>“…Thanks for making me repair.”</p><p>She giggled gently. “No problem.”</p><p>X let himself smile, though part of his heart ached from the dream he’d seen, and he ran out of the room as the comm clicked off.</p><hr/><p>Airstrike adjusted some controls at his command console on the bridge. It was one of the Hunters’ defense carriers, a medium-sized fleet craft, which was to say it was ‘only’ four-hundred meters stem to stern. His success during the final battle against Sigma’s forces led to Airstrike almost immediately being promoted to full-time captain of his own ship, and his crew were relieved by the posting. Though he was technically the least experienced captain in the Maverick Hunters’ armada, his tactical and aerial combat expertise were second to none. The admiral of the fleet, Skiver, was already on record as saying he usually defaulted his tactics to Airstrike’s recommendations.</p><p>At the moment, the ship was serving alone for the new mission. Dr. Cain walked up, his cane tapping gently on the flooring, and stood just back and to the Reploid’s right.</p><p>“You certainly do run a tight ship, as the saying goes, Captain Airstrike.”</p><p>The pale Reploid offered a smile over his shoulder. “Much appreciated, sir. Please pardon the lack of salute, I’m programming the correct take-off vector at this time.”</p><p>“Absolutely, carry on, Airstrike. I assume X is underway?”</p><p>Alia was just walking up to join them. “Yes, sir. His teleportation field should touch down in moments, actually. …And thank you for letting him go. It means a lot to him.”</p><p>Dr. Cain gave her a knowing smile. “I’ll admit, I thought it might do some good to hold him back with the rest of the task-force we’re deploying, but you were right. His prowess and previous record make him a natural choice for initial infiltration. Especially his success with keeping hostages alive.”</p><p>Alia smiled, but she felt compelled to give a glance to Signas, who was operating at a console on the far right of the bridge. <em>I had hoped to just appeal to Dr. Cain for X’s sake, but Signas recommended the previous successes. I’m glad I listened.</em></p><p>“Any further progress on the situation with the island?” Dr. Cain continued.</p><p>Alia came closer, offering her datapad to him, which he accepted with one hand off his cane. “Yes, though limited. Something hit hard and fast all over the island’s infrastructure. We can’t get any communications going. That computer facility was all but the only link to the outside world or networks. Satellite imagery still shows plenty of civilians living normally, but most of them are far from the important installations across the island. Those are conspicuously quiet. Further, some kind of interference is preventing the proper detail in our satellite feeds. We can only get a birds-eye view, nothing deeper yet.”</p><p>Dr. Cain nodded, and returned the pad to her. “So I see. Captain? What’s our ETA on the island?”</p><p>Airstrike half-turned, the ship already starting to fly out over the city. “Just under a day. I trust X to hold the fort that long, at least.”</p><p>They shared a bit of the wry humor, and Alia returned to her console near Signas as the ship accelerated North.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Cutting Vines</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A blue glimmer of light shot down like a single raindrop from the mild clouds. It hit, bulged, and burst open to reveal X’s crouching form. He raised his head, steam rising off the ground around him, and he saw the weather-control facility looming beyond. Part fortress, part lab, and part walled-off park, it was a massive edifice. The dark metal wall with lightning-rod spires ahead of him was not what made X’s insides twist with nausea.</p><p>The field he had landed in just outside the facility was littered with bodies. Mostly human, though a few Reploids were scorched and broken among them. By the charcoal streaks across the ground and the nature of the bodies, it was clear a sheet of lightning had come down on them as they were fleeing the facility.</p><p>Even with their features mostly charred away, they were frozen in horror and pain. One particular body was locked on the ground, reaching out, trying to crawl away as the face screamed silently in a deathless echo of its owner’s last moments.</p><p>X’s fists clenched, and he ran forward. He pinged his sensors across the area, but wasn’t really surprised when no active heartbeats or core-pulses reached back. At the large metal ingress at the foot of the wall, X touched the control on its right frame, and reached to his audio receptor. “Alia, I’m at the facility. Do we have any data on its security protocols?”</p><p>“I’m sorry, no. The information was deliberately limited off the island due to concern of terrorist attacks. This was before Mavericks became a major threat. You’re not interfacing directly, right? At least a buffer in place?”</p><p>X smiled faintly at her concerned tone. “Just like you taught me, don’t worry.”</p><p>It was an internal buffer, but it allowed him to network with a device without exposing his internal data core and processor. His hand glowed faintly as he began, the console shimmering in response. Rapid calculations scrolled through X’s view, working on cracking the code-lock.</p><p>Eyes tightened, X realized, “It’s readapting the code every ten-thousand permutations. Sophisticated stuff. Was this island some kind of brain-trust?”</p><p>The adaptive code would make direct cracking impossible. He had to determine the algorithm, or bypass the door entirely. Announcing himself spectacularly by blowing the door out wasn’t the best start to infiltrating a possible hostage situation (he tried to ignore the voice whispering how unlikely it would be to find survivors). Instead, he changed tactics. He wasn’t cracking the code to get in, he was battling with it to learn its method, backward engineer the algorithm.</p><p>It was like watching two schools of fish try to crash into each other in a confined space. Dizzying, maddening minutiae constantly adapting, changing, shifting.</p><p>“…There it is,” he whispered at last. The permutation was adapting in cycles in predictable ways. A clever trick, but not as sophisticated as he’d first feared. <em>I wonder if it was a scientist showing off more than a security precaution.</em></p><p>With the pattern revealed, he modified his permutations, and actually turned the security against itself. In a few more second, it gave him the code by its own adaptation, and the console blinked to life, ready and waiting.</p><p>The glow faded from X’s hand, and he just pressed the main control key. The door hissed open with surprising ease, and he walked inside. “Alia? I’m in.”</p><p>“Quick work, X. I’m impressed. Maybe you don’t need an operator these days?”</p><p>X smirked. “Right. Now what can you tell me about weather-control system here? I’d prefer not to let the island flash-freeze if we can avoid it.”</p><p>“Exactly. The data we hacked and finally got released from the authorities gives us a pretty good idea of the system. It was a network of control systems routed throughout the facility. They should basically resemble spheres on pedestals, with control consoles nearby. Likely in secured rooms. I’m sorry for the lack of detail. I have an old map of the facility, but our satellite feed already shows its woefully out of date.”</p><p>X stepped out of the dark entry hall, and into an almost tropical rain-forest area. The immersion would have been complete if not for the glaring white metal walls and ceiling. “Toss it my way. It’s better than nothing.”</p><p>“You got it.”</p><p>The map reached his data display, and overlaid with his view. Red shapes formed where the map was clearly wrong, expecting walls or hallways that weren’t there. However, it did seem to mesh with the wall further ahead, behind some trees, and it indicated where a chamber awaited. “I think I have a place to start. X out.”</p><p>“Be careful.”</p><p>“I will.”</p><p>Keeping quiet, X flitted through the brush and trees without his boost-system. Despite the occasional ping or hiss from his body, he was surprisingly silent.</p><p>Hearing propeller blades above, X flattened against a tree, and looked skyward. A strange mechaniloid security drone was hovering along. It looked like a humanoid torso with a claw where the waist would be, holding some kind of glass device. It lingered over him ominously for several moments, and then finally drifted off.</p><p>X shook his head, and snuck further along. The ‘chamber’ he discovered made him pause and blink. It was like a giant tree-trunk, but with a hallway cut out of its core. And inside that hall was a slightly larger area, serving as a control room of some kind. One of the sphere-devices was waiting in the center.</p><p>Glancing around for patrolling bots, X leapt across the open span of field, and ducked into the hall silently. Once he was sure it was still clear, he moved to the chamber, and took stock. Consoles lined to the two walls, with thick piping leading into the base of the glass-like sphere. It was a strange, metallic, almost cloudy material, and he could vaguely see machinery within it.</p><p>Hoping to scan the device, X’s hand reached out, but he froze, eyes sharpening. His system flared with warnings from a deeply embedded core program. A gift from Dr. Light. The sphere would react badly to touch, even just for a scan.</p><p>Giving up on that method, X moved to the nearest console. It was inactive, which meant he had to turn it on to make any progress. Starting to turn things on would draw far more attention than he wanted yet.</p><p>Beyond the fake jungle, the facility was disturbingly silent. The quiet of death was starting to unnerve him, especially after the carnage outside.</p><p>Calibrating a secure comm-channel, X spoke without using his vocal emitter, //Alia, do you read me still? I found one of the orb-devices, but it’s completely inactive. Security is tight here. Any information?//</p><p>//Alia here, X. I’m sorry, the information just isn’t out there. The facility was basically dismissed by the human authorities just before the Sigma uprising, and so no follow-up was done. I think you made the right call to leave it alone for now. Without any understanding of their current security protocols, it’s probably better to try to get deeper into the facility and find something more accessible.//</p><p>X frowned at the room around him. //Roger that. Moving out.//</p><p>Cutting the connection, he moved through the room, to the far side, and took a glance around for patrolling hover-bots.</p><p>Then alerts chimed through the chamber, making X’s eyes flare. He snapped around, bracing for a fight. The orb was starting to crackle and shimmer with electrical power.</p><p>With a quick look out again, he saw that the hover-bots in the distance were not moving any faster yet. They were simply maintaining their routine. “…Then what’s—!?” X cut himself off and dove out of the room, rolling into the bushes as the orb exploded with power.</p><p>The entire chamber filled with crackling, surging energy that channeled up the tree-like pillar surrounding it, and then burst out across the roof.</p><p>X looked up, realization relaxing his expression. Storm clouds were swirling to life inside the large garden-chamber, and rain began to pour down in cool, refreshing sheets. <em>Of course! I’m an idiot. It’s a weather-control lab! It must be doing an automated test. I have to get deeper then. This station won’t have facility-controls, just maintenance data.</em></p><p>A bit relieved at the information revealing itself for him, X quickly shifted through the rain-soaked jungle, toward the opposite side of where he entered. It was just a guess from the size of the facility. If there was going to be a hall or doorway leading deeper, it was likely there. At least he could start there.</p><hr/><p>A screen winked on in darkness. It was of similar style to the ones around the orb X had visited. And this one was glistening in the reflection of two optics, sharp in design, and the color of human blood in their irises. “Better at sneaking than I’d calculated,” a highly filtered voice rasped, as if it was coming through a low-quality speaker. A respirator was heavily cycling with it, as if speaking was difficult.</p><p>“No matter. Time for the direct approach. Lab security to full alert. We have a terrorist infiltration in hydroponic weather lab five.”</p><hr/><p>Before X could reach the far side of the lab-forest, klaxons filled the air, echoing awkwardly through the trees and rain. He froze, glancing down and around for hidden sensor bars he had somehow missed. There was nothing. “How did—!?”</p><p>He didn’t look, he heard it above him. X dove forward, rolling through a wall of brush as one of the crystal balls fell down from a hover-bot. X risked a glance through the hole he tore in the plants, and saw the ball shatter on impact, leaving a cactus-like plant that was crackling with electrical energy.</p><p>Thunder rolled above, but it was oddly tinny. Thunder in microcosm.</p><p>“Grounding source!” X exclaimed, and shoved himself up and backward, twisting to dash full-speed for his destination.</p><p>At least eight different forks of lightning came ripping out of the sky, and tore into the jungle all around the lightning-plant. It was like a targeting system for the storm.</p><p>“I’m not sure if I find that creepy or clever,” X muttered to himself as he blazed, trading legs in long, lunging strides with booster thrusts from his feet.</p><p>More hover-bots came diving down, dropping their crystals like small bombers. X twisted, rolled, somersaulted, and dashed through the small barrage, and finally broke through enough brush to see his theory was right. A doorway waited in the wall ahead.</p><p>As soon as he reached the small clearing around the doorway, however, patches of grass lifted up, revealing large, golden orbs on rising poles. They were starting to crackle of their own power. They were also rotating to track him.</p><p>Somewhat. As his optics caught site of the devices, he also realized they weren’t targeting him directly. They were aiming near him.</p><p>“The grounders,” he realized, and did a dash-powered side-flip just as they fired for the first time.</p><p>Each golden orb device unleashed a bolt of lightning, and each struck a different lightning-plant. The ground became a network storm of star-hot light.</p><p>X looked ‘up’ as he flipped fully upside down, the glow casting him into stark relief. Calculations whirled through his processor, and he knew he would land IN the energy rather than past it. His colors snapped as his buster aimed out and down.</p><p>First a tornado ripped out, churning into the ground and ripping a small hole in the writhing energy thanks to the mounds of dirt it forced up. Then a swirling rolling-shield burrowed down after it like an obedient mole-bot.</p><p>X dove in after his own rolling-shield, vanishing into the earth. Hover-bots came hurtling down, trying to fill the hole with lightning-plants, but X was long gone.</p><p>Those red optics in the dark room narrowed at the screen. “…Now I see why they were concerned.” Something dragged and slipped across the flooring in the darkness, joined by the unmistakable sound of blades sliding over metal. “I’ll be stepping in if the system doesn’t finish the job.”</p><hr/><p>The dark metal hall beyond the doorway X had been striving for was ominous in its own right, but the deep, haunting thrum that filled it suddenly was akin to some kind of howling beast. Again it sounded. The flooring trembled with another, the sound sharper and more clear.</p><p>And finally X’s armored head tore up through the flooring with a building grunt. He started to tear portions of the hole out further with his hands to make himself a big enough hole as he muttered, “I appreciate the armor, Dr. Light, but using my head to dig is… awkward.”</p><p>What followed was a dismally comical few minutes of X failing to tear enough space for himself, and having to restart with various phases of his body extricated from the hole. By the time his boots were finally free and standing on metal again, he was hunched over, breathing heavily. “I can dodge entire security systems, beat master combatant Mavericks in a fight, and a HOLE keeps me busier. Well that took me down a few pegs.”</p><p>Shaking himself free of the situation, X touched his ear. “Alia, do you read?”</p><p>His expression clenched when no response came. X closed his eyes, and let his sensors test his connection. Jamming. <em>It must’ve started with the security system alert. Damn. Alright, time to get serious.</em></p><p>He dashed ahead.</p><hr/><p>It was like a surreal nightmare, he realized. After leaving the hall for another jungle-lab, blistering heat so intense is was visibly distorting the air around him snapped to soaking torrents of rain and lightning with the oddly tinny, mini-thunder. This all combined with groups of hover-bots and lightning-conductor pods blasting attacks at him from every direction.</p><p>Even with a body designed by Dr. Light himself, the extreme shifts were taxing X’s systems. He found himself running out of breath faster, his core pulsing erratically from the excessive strain.</p><p>It didn’t take long for him to find another pedestal-orb chamber. This one was brimming with radiant, fiery power similar to the blistering heat that had just returned.</p><p>X started to build power as he dashed around lightning-plants and bolts of power from pods. Shimmering with blue-purple light, he snapped his blaster out, and fired at the orb just as he reached the little chamber.</p><p>The orb proved oddly durable. Its energy absorbed the bulk of the wash of plasma power, but the weather did calm as the orb’s field dissipated partially from the assault. X landed in front of the orb from a final dash-leap, and started to unload plasma-bolts into it. A flash of light rushed over its surface with every bolt, more and more of its power washing away.</p><p>At last, the thing shattered, its inner mechanism breaking apart.</p><p>The weather immediately snapped to pouring rain and thunder.</p><p>X lowered his buster and glanced out. More patrols of hover-bots were rapidly moving toward him despite the rain and intensifying wind joining this storm. Likely the system was compensating for the attack on one of its power systems.</p><p>Instead of stopping to fight, X dashed through the chamber, to the far side. He found himself in a darkened, large chamber, and immediately had to stop again. The flooring was gone. A small lake of steel spikes were waiting for him, with security sensor pods floating back and forth over it. Likely there to verify any intruders’ demises.</p><p>“Bit harsh for a bunch of scientists to design…” X muttered, but was already glancing around. Using the security pods as platforms to jump across the chasm seemed his best bet, but there was also a maintenance ladder back to his left, just aside from the orb-chamber he’d left.</p><p>A door hissing open made his optics snap further to his direct left, toward the far side of the larger chamber.</p><p>“Over here! Quick!”</p><p>X gawked.</p><p>A Reploid was leaning out of the door, waving frantically for him to come to her. She had a simple armor-design of white and gray, and had long, free-flowing, thick black hair around a pale, human-type face.</p><p>Not pausing any longer, X dashed at full speed, gave her a quick nod, and they both ducked back into the room she’d come out of.</p><p>The door rushed closed, locking after the Reploid typed in a quick set of commands at the controls.</p><p>Immediately, she looked at him. “W-who are you?”</p><p>X let his respirator cycle gently, and smiled at her. “X. I’m with the Maverick Hunters.”</p><p>Her expression froze for a moment, then she seemed to deflate, sinking against the wall beside the door, and sliding down with soft scrapes of her armor. “…Of course.”</p><p>X blinked, then softened his expression, kneeling down at her side. “I know how insane this all is… are you hurt physically in any way?”</p><p>She looked up at him with empty brown eyes. “…I’m the Maverick you came here to kill.”</p><p>X stared, then blinked. This was no Maverick. Her eyes were dead from shock and trauma, there was no rage-haze he saw in infected Reploids. “I’m sorry?” was all that came to mind to ask, utterly perplexed.</p><p>The Reploid grabbed her head, crying. “I-it’s my fault! I killed them! I always thought Mavericks knew what they were doing, but I just couldn’t stop it!”</p><p>X’s thoughts started to collect again, and he focused. “Easy, easy,” he breathed, his hands gesturing open and down. “You’re no Maverick. Listen… what’s your name?”</p><p>She blinked up at him, a pitiful moue on her lips. “…C-Cadis…”</p><p>X smiled, and offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Cadis. I’m sorry the situation is so terrible.”</p><p>Both confused and overwhelmed, she mainly reached up and shook his hand out of social habit. “Y-you… too.”</p><p>X tipped his head, and let her hand go. “Now, from the top, what happened to you, Cadis?”</p><p>She swallowed, probably a learned social habit from human friends, and glanced out at the room. It was a control chamber, but lacked an orb. Consoles lined the walls, and along two islands in the center. “I was… doing maintenance rounds a few days ago. Duncan saw a weird power surge in the weather-control labs, so I came to check the readings and adjust them.” Her voice steadied a bit, calming as she focused on reporting information.</p><p>“I got here, and started some basic maintenance processes. T-then the… the system just went nuts!” she gasped out, her eyes tightening with tears. “The entire system, not just the labs. It was going haywire! I was trying to shut the systems down, but everything I did went wrong!” She grabbed her head. “I saw the security feed outside! I saw the lightning come down as they were running!”</p><p>X’s face broke with empathy, and rested a hand on her shoulder. “…Cadis, it wasn’t your fault.”</p><p>She stared up at him. “I was the only one with access to the systems! Something I did cause…?”</p><p>X was shaking his head to cut her off gently. “Cadis, it was an off-site compromise. The systems were hacked under you. You’re not a Maverick, Cadis… you’re a victim of a Maverick attack.”</p><p>Cadis’ eyes widened, a painful mix of hope, relief, and new guilt brimming up in their depths. “…I didn’t…?”</p><p>X shook his head again. “You were just doing your job. Your efforts to stop the system are likely what saved hundreds of lives, too. The facility’s system was used to attack a city thousands of miles to the South. That’s what alerted the Hunters.”</p><p>“A city…? Survivors… did you find anyone else here?”</p><p>X turned grave, and answered, “Not so far. I’m sorry.”</p><p>Cadis’ head fell back against the wall, her optics staring up at nothing. “Matt… Duncan… G’d, the last thing I said to Nathan was a giant fight over Reploid rights.”</p><p>X touched her shoulder again, waiting for her eyes to meet his. “…Fights happen every day, Cadis. Everyone knows how those go. None of this is your fault. In fact,” he began afresh, offering a gentle smile, “since you’re an expert on the systems here, I could really use your help.”</p><p>Cadis blinked, finally more of her conscious self coming to the surface. “Help how?” There was a quiet eagerness in her voice. If she could finally do something to help fix this insanity, maybe she wasn’t a failure after all.</p><p>“I want to stop this facility from being a threat, but I don’t want to destroy it, or the whole island will suffer. Is there any way to do that?”</p><p>Cadis swallowed again, a steadying gesture this time, and started to stand up against the wall. X stepped back and rose with her, watching her eyes dance over the chamber, across the various consoles.</p><p>“…The core controls system. If we can access it still, then I can use the command codes to lock it into the standard system. The site will lose any security, but it also can’t be deviated from pure weather synthesis. Nothing extreme, just normal seasons and weather patterns in the base program.”</p><p>X smiled. “Sounds like that’s our plan. Do you have an up to date map of the facility? Can you show me where we need to go?”</p><p>Cadis nodded, and rushed to the closest console, booting it up as her hands danced over the controls. X stood by, watching with some satisfaction as she came more and more to life, drawn out of her despair. Hiding in a dark room for days, believing yourself the cause of all your friends’ deaths was not a fate he’d wish on anyone.</p><p>“Here, this area,” she began fresh, pointing at the screen.</p><p>X leaned in, his optics scanning the data in detail. “Thank you. That large vertical shaft, is it still accessible?”</p><p>“I’m honestly not sure. It’s the equipment elevator. I used it all the time before this attack, but it unnerved most humans because it lacks sides. With the attack… I have no way of knowing how safe it is.”</p><p>X stood up. “Fair enough. Can you give me the codes?”</p><p>Cadis stopped, seeming to realize something. “…Yes, but there’s another problem.”</p><p>“Go on?”</p><p>“The system will only accept those codes from an authorized user. Duncan… Dr. Gold didn’t tell anyone that he authorized me for it. A Reploid isn’t supposed to have those codes.”</p><p>X touched her shoulder, drawing her eyes to his. He smiled kindly. “While I’m sorry he had to keep it secret, I think that secret is about to save a lot of lives. Do you trust me, Cadis?”</p><p>She wasn’t sure why she answered so immediately, “Yes.”</p><p>“I’m going to get you to that console, and I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you safe. It’s a dangerous situation, so I won’t lie about any guarantees of safety… but I think you need this chance for yourself, don’t you?”</p><p>Cadis looked back down at the screen, her eyes tightening. All her friends… Even that annoying Nathan… She nodded, and gave X a faint smile. “So what do we do?”</p><p>X grinned, and then started to explain his plan.</p><hr/><p>A security pod focused down on a set of spikes that were suddenly frozen over with ice. It began to drift over, and then reeled back as something heavy slammed into it at high speed from higher up. Its sensors recalibrated just in time to watch X shove off of it, and fire his shot-gun ice blasts into the spikes below as he arced to the next pod.</p><p>With a quick network pulse, the entire security pod system was focused on X, and following him. The console in the dark chamber showed the combined views to the overshadowed watcher as they did so.</p><p>“Disappears from my grid, only to show up again guns blazing? What are you playing at?” the overshadowed optics rasped.</p><p>X bounded from pod to pod, firing shotgun blasts down into the ice as he did. It only took a few seconds overall for him to reach the far side, the base of the equipment lift structure. Frog-like mechaniloids and a few hover-bots were trying to rush after him from holes in the ceiling, but he switched weapons, his colors turning bright orange around his white armor, and he seared through the sealed doors in a few seconds, dive-rolling onto the platform beyond.</p><p>The optics in the darkness narrowed with pleasure. “And mistake number one. Good bye, X.”</p><p>The lift started to rush upwards, maintenance mechaniloids leaping in to attack from the exposed sides, their drill bit noses whirring.</p><p>X whirled into a display of tight acrobatics, almost like a break-dancer as he twisted on his shoulder or knees, firing precise blasts to blow the small bots apart as the lift careened to the ceiling above.</p><hr/><p>Below, Cadis was running along the path of ice X had forged in the spikes. She was sprinting all-out, and rolled off the ice-path to hit the wall near the hole he’d made in the thick doors. The security bots were trying to follow or break off to find another way to meet X, and she saw an opening. With a quick dash, she was inside the hole, and climbing a maintenance ladder inside the shaft.</p><hr/><p>X finished one particularly fast shoulder-spin, three mechaniloids blowing around him, and he dash-rolled off the lift, slamming his back against the doorway that came into view just a core-pulse before. He grunted on impact, grabbing hold of some ridge in the plating with his fingers just as the lift smashed into the ceiling, pieces of it raining down into the shaft after the deafening bang.</p><p>Cadis cringed and held tight to the ladder, feeling something fall past her head and tug her hair, but nothing hit.</p><p>Nursing his back, X managed to clamber around, and scorch a hole through the next door. <em>Just like old times, hm? Wonder what Quickman would say about this?</em></p><p>Slipping through, X found himself in a fully industrial section of the facility. A large hallway waited, and he heard the sounds of mechaniloids gearing up for his approach. He didn’t risk looking back, but he listened, and heard Cadis climbing up. She’d be at this point soon.</p><p><em>Time to make a hole for her,</em> he told himself, and shot off at full speed, boots blazing.</p><hr/><p>Cadis heard explosions and metal crashing off walls and flooring in a morbid chorus. Part of her took satisfaction it, but another was still haunted by the violence. Reaching the top level, she eased around to the hole X made, and snuck through herself.</p><p>Mindful of security cams, but relieved to see all the ones she knew focused keenly ahead on X, she hurried forward, slipping into a maintenance hatch just under one of them. This would get her almost right to the command center safely, especially with X drawing all the fire.</p><hr/><p>X dashed through the exploding remains of a two-legged cannon-walker, spraying plasma bolts across at three more drill mechaniloids. As they flew apart, he skidded to a halt at a sphere-lock door ahead of him. “Even here, huh?” he muttered at the similar design.</p><p>Hearing a soft thump on a vent to his right, X glanced sidelong, and saw Cadis’ pale hand waving faintly. He looked forward, but nodded, and reached out, touching the lock.</p><p>This one remained steady. He smirked, and changed colors again, starting to scorch through his flamethrower once again.</p><p>With a hole big enough made, he kicked the center out, and marched through, buster ready. There was too much security in place to relax at the command bunker. He hoped Cadis would stick to the plan as she had so far, and wait until he gave an all-clear.</p><p>After a short hallway, the space opened into a large, cubicle chamber. Opposite and above, he saw the windows for the control chamber, but the room itself was lined with vines all along the walls. Odd vines, seeming a mixture of organic plant-life and synthetic armor.</p><p>And then a shape disturbed the roof, and dropped down with a heavy slam ahead of X. The Maverick Hunter braced, his eyes sharpening at the new Reploid before him.</p><p>A mixture of green armor and purple details, the strangely designed Reploid stood up from the crouched landing, crimson eyes angrily sharp. Synthetic leaves draped down over the head, which was melded into the torso without any visible neck, a heavily armored faceplate where a mouth or nose would be. The arms were gripping vines like the ones lining the walls, but these terminated in cutting blades with stabbing points on the tips.</p><p>Those red eyes had the haze.</p><p>X firmed, his still visible fist clenching. “Stand down. This doesn’t have to be any more violent.”</p><p>“Oh, but it does, X,” the Maverick rasped, twirling the blades with his hands, flowing into a quick demonstration of martial finesse with his arms and legs, dropping into a fighting stance. “I can’t let you proceed, and this facility is too important to hand over to you.”</p><p>“Important to what?” X persisted, not raising his buster to aim yet.</p><p>Cadis was listening intently just outside the short hall, her back to the remains of the melted door.</p><p>The red optics slanted with a dark smile. “You’re never finding out. I’m going to BURY YOU HERE!” Mad excitement made the eyes stretch wide, and suddenly the ceiling rushed over with clouds and lightning, storming down into the Maverick, his body erupting with power like an effigy of lightning.</p><p>X’s eyes widened with shock, and he dashed to his left.</p><p>The Maverick whipped around, throwing the blade-tethers with sharp snaps. The lightning charged vines ripped out, and X had to duck and slide under one that drove into the wall just ahead of him, the other glancing his flank.</p><p>X cringed, his body surging over with energy from the minor touch. It had gone through his armor cleanly, too. <em>Those attacks are incredibly fast. His body is slower, but those vine-blades remind me all too much of Boom Kuwanger.</em></p><p>Clutching his flank, X dove and rolled again, successfully avoiding the next pair of lightning charged strikes. He fired off a pair of bolts, but they dispersed into the aura of energy still clutching the Maverick tight.</p><p>Yanking his weapons back, lashing them around for another assault, the Maverick laughed, “This is too much fun! I’ll bring your burnt pieces to the master as an offering!”</p><p>X hand-flipped with one hand, barely dodging the next strikes. His optics focused up, seeing the storm that was still pouring energy down into the Maverick. The control chamber was what he needed to kill the storm, but he could barely avoid the attacks, yet alone run for the chamber’s ladder.</p><p>A painful reminder of the danger ripped across his buster-arm, X barking as his system was shocked and the inner workings of his upper-arm flashed to view. X fell away from the vine that buried in the wall near him from the passing strike, and tried to roll. He felt the air sizzle from the second strike near his face, but it missed as well.</p><p>“Almost!” the Maverick exclaimed. “Let’s try this again!”</p><p>X’s body began to shimmer, his eyes half-lidded as he focused on his adversary. With lightning-vines lashing around, the Maverick cackled, whipping them forward again.</p><p>X burst-flipped, higher and further than usual, his buster aiming and firing a full blast. Plasma ripped around behind him from the back-wash, an undulating surge writhing through the air toward its target.</p><p>The Maverick braced, yanking his vines back and starting to dive aside, but the wave stuck anyway. It writhed and surged, but dispersed over the lightning on the Reploid’s body.</p><p>X landed heavily, grimacing at the lack of effect.</p><p>“Oh this is priceless! I’ve got you!” The Maverick braced down, his head-leaves trembling before small pods shot out, flying over toward X.</p><p>X dove and rolled, watching the balls hit the ground, dig themselves in, and sprout razor-spines that angled toward him like eager snakes.</p><p>The Maverick was spraying them all of the room, turning into a mass of enemy-seeking spines. “Nowhere left to dive, Hunter!”</p><p>“You sure?”</p><p>X and the Maverick halted at the new voice.</p><p>Cadis was running along behind the Maverick, fire in her optics as she sprinted toward the far wall.</p><p>With a roar of fury, the Maverick spun around, lashing his whips. “I’ll slice you apart!”</p><p>X was there, diving into the whips, grabbing them with his hands as his colors snapped to golden highlights.</p><p>Cadis watched in shock as she ran, X dive-tackling the weapons into the ground before they could fly much past the Maverick’s own body.</p><p>“Go!” X shouted. “Kill the storm he’s using! Then enter the codes!”</p><p>Cadis managed a nod, and kept running.</p><p>The Maverick roared, yanking X to himself, aiming a knee-strike as the storm energy coursed over them both, trying to burn X even as his body was adapting.</p><p>X blocked it with a knee of his own, and then head-butted the Maverick. Energy pulsed out from the warring bodies, and the Maverick reeled.</p><p>Cadis scrambled up the ladder, and into the chamber, rushing to a console. Her eyes had to glance up and over, seeing X fighting so fiercely. She’d meant to distract for him and help, but she’d just made it worse… and he’d gone to her aid so instantly. She focused. That storm would be gone for him.</p><p>X gripped the vines searing his hands. It was too much for his adaptation, even ready for electrical power as he’d made his drives. Despite that, he gripped, and yanked, wrenching the Maverick around with a grimace and roar of effort.</p><p>The Maverick lost his footing, but corrected in mid-air, and landed on his feet on the other side. “Impressive, but I’m not losing to a whelp like you!” And he wrenched around himself.</p><p>X went flying, but held fast, and snapped his body in, ramming a boot straight into the Maverick’s face.</p><p>For some reason this caused a feedback surge. The storm power intensified over both them, and started to shock and burn both of their bodies. X’s eyes were wide, but focused, and his groaned through the pain, holding tight. “You’re… not… hurting… anyone else!”</p><p>Cadis slammed her hand into the final activation sequence. “There!” she shouted, hoping it was loud enough.</p><p>The storm in the room dispersed.</p><p>The energy crashed down and blew the two fighters apart, X slamming into the wall under Cadis’ room, the Maverick just against the hall’s opening.</p><p>X pushed himself up, his body steaming and scorched in places, his colors reverting as his buster snapped to life, power flowing over his body. “Stand down!” he gasped out, haggard. “I don’t want to kill you!”</p><p>The Maverick picked himself up, similar steaming and marked, but his blades were spinning in his hands. “I’m Wire Sponge, kid. I don’t stand down for newbies who got lucky. Stand down from THIS!”</p><p>Wire Sponge whirled around, throwing one spear up into the ceiling and leaping off the ground in one gesture. He was swinging toward X, his other blade lashing out, more coiling out from under his arm to let it fly free.</p><p>Fully charged, X’s body glowing, the Hunter shot forward to meet the attack. With a tight duck to one side, X’s hand snapped up, grabbed the attacking vine just behind the blade, and rose with a twisting yank. It pulled the wire around himself, and wrenched Wire Sponge down, into the waiting buster barrel.</p><p>Wire’s face slackened as he realized he was too out of control of his descent to actually dodge the blast. And with their bodies as weakened as they were by the storm-surge, the plasma wave would be more than enough. “…Not just a whelp after all.”</p><p>X fired, the plasma-light fracturing over his dark expression.</p><p>The Maverick was practically blown in half. His armor fractured and shattered, his body folding over itself as the plasma wave tore through his primary systems. He collapsed into a heap of charred parts as X released the vine finally.</p><p>Closing his eyes at the sight, X turned, and looked up to the control chamber. “How’s it going up there?”</p><p>Cadis gave a thumbs up, smiling a bit through the window.</p><p>X nodded. “I’m going to see if I can pull the command codes for any mechaniloids from his system. Sorry for the morbid part.”</p><p>Cadis nodded more seriously, and focused on her screen.</p><p>It gave X his excuse. He knelt down, searched for any command codes, and after quickly copying them to make sure the mechaniloids stood down, he took the core processor and system buffer, stowing them in his cargo port. <em>Restoring you will have to wait, sorry, Wire. I can’t get back to the bunker on this island. Not with the task force on the way.</em></p><p>“You do this for a living, huh?”</p><p>X looked up from Wire Sponge’s remains to see Cadis standing just back to his right, a sympathetic smile on her lips. “I suppose so. How are you holding up?”</p><p>She shrugged. “I don’t know, honestly. I’m glad we stopped this. …Thank you, X.”</p><p>X stood up, and smiled for her, dusting some soot off his hands. “And thank you. You saved my plates back there. I wasn’t expecting the storm to give him that kind of capability enhancement.”</p><p>“I know. I’m sorry about spoiling the plan, but I saw the fight, and realized you might need a hand.”</p><p>X offered his hand. “You made the right call.”</p><p>Cadis shook it more naturally this time. “Can I ask you something?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>“Are you <em>the</em> X? Megaman X?”</p><p>X blushed a bit, rubbing the back of his helmet. Having this kind of conversation with a Maverick’s shattered body at his heels was decidedly morbid and confusing for him. “Y-yes…”</p><p>Cadis flushed, but nodded toward the hall. “Let’s get out of here. This lab is shielded, so I doubt comms are working. You need to contact your base, right?”</p><p>“Exactly. Thank you. Come on, we’ll make sure you’ve got somewhere to charge until you can settle on a long-term plan for yourself.”</p><p>Cadis tipped her head. “Thanks, X. I’m… very grateful.”</p><p>“Say we’re even.”</p><p>They shared a warm smile, and they hurried out of the lab.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Siege Device</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alia surprised herself with self loathing after the rush of relief at hearing X’s voice finally return to the comm line. She’d hidden her panic from the crew on the ship, but when his line went silent, she’d nearly gone mad. At the time, she’d wondered if Signas saw it, and that was why he’d joined her at her station, keeping her focused on various data tasks with his patient, calm manner.</p><p>The self-loathing came from her own reaction to Cadis. The poor Reploid was rescued from a traumatic situation, and Alia had never felt such a violent spike of jealousy in her life. It was that warm smile Cadis gave X as they finally joined the task-force on the ship over the island. X had returned it happily.</p><p>Her respect and regard for X she’d convinced herself were purely professional, but the jealousy made her realize that was a lie. Seeing X share a smile like that with another Reploid made her want to tackle the poor survivor into the bulkhead.</p><p>And now worse news. Wire Sponge revealed as a Maverick was the tip of an iceberg she’d helped dig out, and one she knew from personal experience. Now painful history was tied to the revelation that had just come to life.</p><p>Alia was standing on the bridge with Dr. Cain, Signas, X, and Airstrike. As the acting captain, Airstrike had a temporary elevation in rank for this mission, and the Reploid was such a consummate professional, Alia had no concerns over it.</p><p>X was still scorched and cut from his fight, but had wanted to be present for her report, so had put off his repairs for the moment. Another reason she felt sick of herself.</p><p>“Thank you for joining me,” she began, business-like and calm as she entered data on the holotable between them all. “Now that we know Wire Sponge was a Maverick involved in this attack, we’ve been given a vital clue. Wire Sponge was part of a long range recon team of Maverick Hunters just before Sigma went Maverick himself. It was a team of some of the best and brightest.”</p><p>Profiles started to pop up in the display, giving data, records, and images as she listed them out.</p><p>“Crystal Snail, the commander and a strong scientific mind. He specialized in isolated time-distortion technology before joining the Hunters. Also gifted for tactics, which is why he became commander.” He had pale blue armor for skin, a vented, golden faceplate, and tendrils like a mustache and long eyebrows running off his head.</p><p>“His second in command, Flame Stag, was a combat expert specializing in harsh terrain.” Alia clenched her jaw for a moment, then explained, “He trained me at the academy, in fact. I don’t know what could have driven him Maverick, but…” she shook her head, starting to continue.</p><p>X and Signas shared an empathetic glance, and X focused back on Alia. He’d never wanted to explain to her more the truth of the virus, the infection.</p><p>The Reploid himself had a smooth, orange and white stag-like head, and the image showed actual flames gushing out to form antlers.</p><p>Airstrike shared a private comm with Signas and X, //He trained under Flame Mammoth first, actually. I’ll make sure Inferno is aware, so he’s prepped.//</p><p>X let Signas actually respond.</p><p>//Very good. Thank you, Airstrike.//</p><p>Alia continued, “Beyond them, the rest of the team specialized in environmental infiltration. It was part of why they were dispatched to the island. Wire Sponge was the jungle/forest expert. There’s also Bubble Crab,” a red and blue, faceplate-covered Reploid’s face filled the profile image, “for aquatic, Overdrive Ostrich for desert superiority,” his head was very bird-like, save for the armored silver fins rushing back over it, “Wheel Gator, an urban pacification specialist,” bright green armor along a massive, crushing jaw filled the profile image, “Morph Moth, for adaptive environment identification and aerial superiority, a first-scout expert,” his profile showed a bulbous face mask, bright eyes, and large, frilled eyebrow-antennae, “and then Magna Centipede. Magna is an expert in digital infiltration and system compromise,” his profile showed blades aimed down over a covered mask, dark color curving over the top of his head.</p><p>Alia looked up from her datapad. “He’s our most likely suspect for the hacking attacks on the factory and the weather-control station.”</p><p>Dr. Cain nodded. “I agree with your assessment, Alia. Thank you. X, do you have anything to add?”</p><p>X shook his head. “No, sir. I would like to go on record stating Cadis went above and beyond the call of duty, especially for a civilian sector Reploid. She saved my life.”</p><p>Alia clenched one hand tightly. She wouldn’t let that jealous flare actually burn anyone. Signas did catch her eyes burning into the table, however.</p><p>Dr. Cain smiled. “I’ll make sure it’s properly noted, X. She’s quite the survivor. Is she going to be alright on this ship for the time being?”</p><p>Alia forced herself to speak up. “She reports so, Dr. Cain. I made sure the medics gave her a once-over for safety-sake, and despite the obvious trauma, she’s in excellent condition.” Giving X a little smile, she added, “She was thanking X for the rescue.”</p><p>X flushed a bit, very awkward suddenly, but he just smiled it away. Focusing on the table, he asked, “Is that computer facility properly isolated still?”</p><p>Signas answered, “Yes, confirmed with Alia’s data just a few minutes ago. That place is well locked down for now. I think we can spare focus elsewhere.”</p><p>Alia tipped her head.</p><p>Dr. Cain spoke up, “Very good then. X, go get yourself repaired. Alia, please continue to coordinate our information with Dex. If we can track any of the rest of this team, we need to.”</p><p>The gathering saluted, and started to disperse.</p><p>Alia stopped and stared when X touched her shoulder on the way out. He smiled softly for her.</p><p>“Sorry about scaring you. I didn’t expect the comm to die, but couldn’t go back out to send a notice.”</p><p>Alia eased, the jealous part calming under that smile of his. “It’s okay. I appreciate the apology, but it’s part of the job. I understand.”</p><p>X tipped his head, and hurried off to the repair bay.</p><p>Alia touched her core for a moment, breathed, and continued on herself.</p><hr/><p>Alone in the repair chamber, X took a risk. He patched Wire Sponge’s processor into his repair cell, and opened a connection. Shimmer had prepped it for him after a quick conversation. The X-Hunter team knew they couldn’t go back to the bunker easily.</p><p>In a digital environment for both parties, X and Wire Sponge met face to face without aiming weapons at last.</p><p>Amid streaming data and particles of code, Wire Sponge gave X a grim look. “…You weren’t kidding about the no killing part…”</p><p>X nodded. “I’ll be getting you a body as soon as we can risk it. I know about the infection, Wire Sponge. I’m leading a secret team to try and defeat the virus itself while we fend off the infected Mavericks long enough to pull that off.”</p><p>“…How many died?”</p><p>X looked down. “It wasn’t your fault, Wire.”</p><p>“I need to know.”</p><p>“…Ninety-seven.”</p><p>Wire’s digital eyes closed, his imagined body shaking. “…Yes, I’ll be helping. That’s what I signed up for. As for this current business. I’m sorry, what we each knew was limited. Do you know about the team?”</p><p>“Now, yes. Crystal Snail’s?”</p><p>“The same. All I know is that we’ve been deployed by three very reclusive Mavericks to keep YOU busy.”</p><p>“…Me specifically?”</p><p>“Yes. I don’t know where the others are stationed beyond assumptions. I’d bet Ostrich is in the desert hangar, Magna in the computer core… and so on.”</p><p>X nodded. “We estimated the same. So they didn’t have you coordinate at all?”</p><p>“Not so far. That may change now that you’ve beaten me. I do know you have that… triad shaking. They thought the storms would delay you much more than they did.”</p><p>X smiled a bit. “Well that’s at least something of a relief.”</p><p>Wire seemed to glance off, and then focused on X again. “I just remembered something, X. Wheel Gator. He was obsessed with an experimental vehicle. It was being developed underwater, but was designed for siege warfare. If you haven’t seen him yet, he’ll be mobilizing soon.”</p><p>X snapped to attention. “Where would he focus? Civilians?”</p><p>“As a Maverick? Probably.”</p><p>“Thank you, Wire. I’m disconnecting. I have to finish repairing.”</p><p>“Watch your back, X.”</p><p>And the digital world faded away for each of them.</p><hr/><p>Water started to churn just off the Southern coast of the island. Massive whorls and lashing foam built into a crescendo of violence just before armored metal came bursting free of the depths. At first, the shape was hard to define, but after a moment the view would have been almost laughable if not for the gargantuan reality of the threat.</p><p>A massive tank was rolling out of the water. Easily large enough to be called a base or fortress, it was modeled to look like a giant reptile slung low to the ground, complete with massive yellow optics above the nose. Four building-sized treads were constantly grinding along beneath it, pulling it forward at astonishing speed for such a huge machine.</p><p>Cannons littered its hull, and aerial Mechaniloids were already swarming around it from launch bays along the hull and from internal passages.</p><p>Inside the control center for the massive siege weapon, Wheel Gator let a dark sneer peel open the left side of his elongated maw. His own yellowish optics were sharp with malice. From the faint jitter in his bladed, rotating shoulder armor, to the flooring shaking under his taloned boots, he could feel the power of his machine.</p><p>Squeezing his hands on the main control grips, he pushed the levers forward, and the machine started to increase speed. “Just a distraction, perhaps,” his voice drifted out in a strange mixture of gravel and ice-smooth tones, “but a deeply cathartic one.”</p><p>Mechaniloids manned the control consoles around the control center, and he addressed them next, “Set all weapons for frontal assault. We’re charging Northhope City.” To himself, he added, “And turning it into a glass parking lot.”</p><p>Monotone affirmations replied, and various holoscreens and displays showed weapon systems powering up, power systems flowing, and engines revving.</p><hr/><p>X outright dashed down the last hall to the bridge, red alerts filling the air-ship as klaxons wailed. Alia, Signas, and Dex were already working at their stations, chatter filling the air with a stressed din of emergency.</p><p>“What’s the situation?” X asked quickly, rushing to Dr. Cain and Airstrike at the command station near the front of the bridge.</p><p>Dr. Cain noted privately that Airstrike twisted and responded as if X was a high-ranked officer.</p><p>“Massive siege weapon, X. It just crawled out of the ocean, and is making a straight shot to Northhope. At a glance,” Airstrike continued, tapping a control to change his console’s screen as X came up beside him, “it’s a mobile fortress, designed for direct combat.”</p><p>Several things made X gawk at the view. The size, the armament, but more beyond… <em>One of Dr. Light’s Capsules!? On that!? How the…</em> “I-it would take years to build something that massive!”</p><p>Dr. Cain cleared his throat, and both Reploids quickly turned to him apologetically, at attention. “It’s likely one of the many projects this island was originally designed to work on, X. And with focused Mavericks, it was likely completed in record time, if not already prepared.” Then he looked over to the other consoles, “Alia? Any luck hijacking the controls for that monstrosity?”</p><p>She was shaking her head even as her hands scrambled over her controls. “They sacrificed communication for security, it’s completely LAN-connection-only inside its own structure. No remote access. We either get in and turn it around, or we blow it up.”</p><p>Airstrike responded to the unspoken command, “I’m already on intercept course, but our weaponry may not be enough to turn it or drop it fast enough for the city. We’ll reach Northhope in only a few minutes now.”</p><p>X’s face gained its stony battle-mask. “Both then. Airstrike, blow it to pieces. I’ll drop on it and shut it down or turn it around.”</p><p>Signas and Dex glanced over, but quickly kept working. Alia twisted in her chair, staring at X, however. “You want us to fire on it specifically with you on board, X?”</p><p>“They’re not killing anymore civilians today,” X replied, his voice hard and dark, his body already turned and marching away.</p><p>Dr. Cain’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t speak against the plan at that moment. Alia started to rise up, but stopped herself when X vanished through the bridge entrance. If anyone could survive, it would be him, but… She shook her head, and sat back down, starting to help coordinate weapons, defense systems, and power in the ship.</p><hr/><p>The super-tank was charging forward even as the air-ship came sweeping down on its left. Both vehicles side weapons started angling and firing, shields buckling and warping in waves of lights amidst smoke and fire from the attacks.</p><p>Gator looked up at the ship from his command center, but was smiling faintly. “A real fight after all. Excellent.”</p><p>On the airship, Dr. Cain was sitting at a separate console himself, and Alia was just glancing up at Airstrike as the ship started to pull an insane spin.</p><p>Airstrike himself was in control at this point, his console transformed into a standing harness with grips for his hands. His optics were lit with a kind of dark fire she’d never seen in them before, and the entire crew used magnetic harnesses or belts to stay in their stations as he pulled a battle-cruiser into a barrel-roll, while coordinating both flanks guns to fire in precise waves that only directed at the tank. The insane maneuver forced most of the tanks shots to deflect and sweep past the ship without hitting directly.</p><p>But the look on his face was disturbing. There was a focused fury in him that seemed almost Maverick. Alia had to speak out in a measured tone, “Airstrike, are you alright?”</p><p>It made Signas glance over as well, his own optics tightening.</p><p>Airstrike replied tightly as he kept the ship controlled and dancing despite its size. “Too much innocent blood is on my hands for this tank to reach that city. I’ll drive it into the ground first.”</p><p>Alia’s brow creased. Innocent blood? Her optics danced over to Signas, whose jaw clenched as he focused back on his console. A power alert made Alia focus back on her work, but the experience lingered in her mind.</p><hr/><p>X came out of a splash of blue light that slammed down into the aft armor of the super-tank. Buster out, on one knee, his eyes looked up with a similar dark anger to Airstrike in that moment. With a shove and boost, he was rushing into a bay door he saw opening to let out more flyer Mechaniloids that moment.</p><p>With the air-ship rolling over the tank that same moment, cannons firing down at the whole time, X charged medium bolts of plasma as he went, blowing fliers apart and leaping through their wreckage that kept streaming forward from pure momentum.</p><p>Skidding into a dark hallway in the innards of the tank, X got his bearings for a core-pulse, and then kept dashing along. Roller-bots came surging along toward him, joined by fliers like little flying sharks from iris-bays in the bulkheads.</p><p>X danced and blasted through them. He flipped, leapt, fired, and dashed, weaving through wreckage and fire like a mad labyrinth of battle.</p><p>Hand-flipping over the collapsing body of a roller-bot, X dropped down into a ventilation chamber open to the air above. He risked a glance up, only because he felt the capsule. It was straight above him, above the center of the tall ceiling, possibly just beyond the exit of the vent itself.</p><p>
  <em>Maybe it was in the cliffs below the water, and the tank just scraped it along? …Regardless, I can’t get to it right now, too much is at stake. Sorry, Dr. Light. I’ll be back for that one.</em>
</p><p>He kept going, dropping down further. His sensors gave him a vague concept of the tank’s power core, and he’d reach it faster than the bridge.</p><p>“X!” Airstrike’s violently tense voice called over the comm. “It’ll reach the city in less than a minute!”</p><p>Growling at himself, X blitzed forward. His colors shifted, a dark purple flashing over his gaps in his armor, and the end of his buster turned into a strange, mechanical claw. “Let’s see if I can use your trick, Wire,” he muttered.</p><p>A chasm of serrated spikes was waiting for him as he shot forward, the flooring falling away to expose them as a last ditch defense for the power-core. With a grunt and leap, X went flying into the open air, punched a flier down into the spikes, and fired his buster at the ceiling further ahead. A bladed claw shot out on the end of a hydraulic tether-chord. It clamped on with amazing force to flat metal, and let X swing clean over the spikes, lashing himself over onto the clear flooring just in front of the massive, rotating power core.</p><p>With the released gripper retracting into his arm, X started to charge power, his body writhing with it as his colors reverted to normal.</p><p>That was when a mechaniloid pilot in a mech-suit crashed down directly in front of him. Instead of hands, it had massive, spiked pistons, and hover-thrusters shooting off the back. It was just starting to rush forward to ram X away.</p><p>His eyes narrowed, X rammed his buster forward, and fired. Plasma washed back around him, and a torrential surge burst ahead. Most of the mech-suit was erased, taking the lower half of the mechaniloid pilot with it, and continued on, ripping clear through the thick, spinning power core.</p><p>Chunks of energized metal from the core flew out as it blew apart. X flashed his charged rotary shield bubble over himself, and braced from the back-blast as the engine chamber trembled and roiled from the explosion.</p><hr/><p>The super-tank lurched, all but stopping its forward movement. In that moment, Airstrike took the airship and swung around the front of the tank. It filled the frighteningly small span between the tank’s guns and the city, blasting away at the siege weapon and ground in front of it, creating a rift as much as pushing it back.</p><p>Gator ducked in the command center as the roof was blown clean open by a volley of fire from the airship, half of the bridge crew of mechaniloids flash-melted with their stations.</p><p>Staying in cover, Gator started shouting voice commands, “Engage emergency drive! Keep firing! Blow that ship out of the sky!”</p><p>Slowed, the tank started to crawl forward again, forcing the airship to ease out to the left to avoid backing into the first rows of buildings. It did, however, unleash a full frontal volley into the side of the tank’s forward armor, which rammed the tank off at an angle at the cost of glass shattering along the first row of buildings.</p><p>Airstrike shouted, “Tell me that evacuation order got through in time!”</p><p>Dex answered, “Yes, sir, there shouldn’t be any civilians for another four blocks at the moment, but the city is still mostly full beyond. They just didn’t have enough time.”</p><p>Alia risked a glance to see Airstrike’s optics close from deep relief. They still had a chance to stop the tank from hurting civilians.</p><hr/><p>X leapt through the glowing remains of the power core, and found a waiting mech-suit on the far side of the chamber, along with a maintenance access to the catwalks running under the belly of the super-tank.</p><p>Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, he leapt into the mech-suit, powered it up, and dropped down into the maintenance walkways.</p><p>Other mechaniloid-piloted suits were already rushing toward him from the forward portion of the tank. X drove the suit forward, and sent it into a mad explosion of maneuvers. His spiked rams tore enemy suits apart or flung them away as he powered past them.</p><p>Airstrike’s efforts finally forced the tank to turn to the right, along the city’s border instead of into it. X saw buildings rolling by just as the airship filled the gap, guarding them with its body as the tank and ship continued to share fire.</p><p>
  <em>Good job, Airstrike.</em>
</p><p>With one last suit in his way, past a gap in the catwalks, X pulled one ram back, let it spin up more power, and boosted across the gap, landing as he finally ‘punched’.</p><p>The pieces of the last mech suit opposing him sheared into the wall beyond from the sheer force of their separation from their body.</p><p>Grinding his suit to a halt under the hatch back up into the tank, X leapt free, and into the true confines of the tank again.</p><hr/><p>Though the situation was extreme, many members of the crew couldn’t help muttering about the skill Airstrike was demonstrating. Controlling a massive ship with such precision, with such high potential for disaster, yet even worse danger posed if they moved the ship away from the city was a feat worthy of recognition.</p><p>Alia had always noticed something about Airstrike. He’d seemed old despite being so young. He had the optics of a veteran from the first time she met him in training and recruitment. While his scores in training had been among the best, nothing had indicated this level of mastery. This was no green recruit… or at the very least, he was a savant if he was.</p><p>“Captain Airstrike,” Dex called out suddenly, “our shields are red-lining. You’re doing an amazing job, sir, but we just can’t keep this up!”</p><p>“ETA on failure?” Airstrike growled back from his intense focus. His optics were locked on his sensors and his entire body was dedicated to keeping the ship perfectly in control.</p><p>“Less than a minute, sir!”</p><p>“Make them hold, divert power from weapons.”</p><p>Signas raised an eye ridge. “From weapons?”</p><p>“We’re a shield, Signas, not the spear.”</p><p>“Sir!” Signas affirmed, his hands working quickly.</p><p>Dex and Alia shared a glance, but focused back on their consoles. Dr. Cain was watching the overall map at his console, harnessed safely to his chair. He didn’t like the risk of Airstrike’s command, but couldn’t deny the need. If they pulled out, the city was wide open…</p><hr/><p>The spear was still fighting through the super-tank. X dashed through the still-flying remains of more fliers, and pulse-blasted a few more roller-bots as he traded legs. He finally shot out of a bay-opening, and leapt down to a lower level. He was now near the front of the tank, the airship hovering along beside, but noticeably firing less.</p><p>X spotted the torn-open command-center at last, and started to dash along the hull toward it. A flier-iris opened off to his right, but his buster blew it apart without X even looking back to aim.</p><p>Grabbing an edge of jagged metal, X swung himself straight down into the control chamber, energy building over his frame.</p><p>It was abandoned beyond the rumble of the massive machine’s movements. Wary, X panned the room quickly with his buster, and then ran to the obvious command console near the back of the room.</p><p>There, he grimaced. The controls were powered down or outright torn apart physically. “…Locked to previous command task. It’ll just keep firing at the ship until it’s mechanically unable to…”</p><p>“You catch on quick, Hunter!”</p><p>X’s eyes flared, and twisted to his right, but not before a large hand clamped onto his right shoulder, and wrenched him back.</p><p>The bulkhead dented around X’s back, the Maverick Hunter grunting from shock and pain.</p><p>Wheel Gator didn’t pause. He immediately swung in his other fist to smash X’s head into the wall. X ducked with a scrape of his armor down the wall, and kicked one of Gator’s legs out.</p><p>The Maverick barely grunted, going to one knee, and snapped his tail around. It rebalanced him into a spin to his right, and snapped a strike at X again.</p><p>X dove out to his own right, and the two twisted to face each other at the back of the room, X’s buster trained on the green Maverick.</p><p>“Stand down! Power this machine down, and surrender. You won’t be harmed.”</p><p>Wheel Gator just smirked again, his shoulders starting to rev violently and glow.</p><p>X growled and fired a regular blast.</p><p>Gator’s arms snapped across his front. X’s battle-heightened senses watched the Maverick pull blade-wheels of plasma fire out of his own shoulders, deflecting the plasma-bolt as they were thrown forward at X.</p><p>With a shout of alarm, X shoved himself into a floating twist, barely wrenching his body between the swirling plasma-saws.</p><p>As he twisted, his back toward the ground, X aimed up at Gator with energy rising over his form. The Maverick suddenly shot forward to meet him in that same moment.</p><p>X’s shot burned into another plasma-saw-wheel Gator quickly flicked out, and the two collided, instantly wrestling and striking each other trying to get a solid control over the fight.</p><p>“Spry little brat, I’ll grant you, but you don’t have the TORQUE!” Gator shouted through several grapples of their arms before suddenly slamming both hands up, and snap-thumping his tail up into X’s stomach.</p><p>It was a catastrophic blow. X actually made a sickened choke, his respirator kicking and sputtering inside his torso, and he was flung up, out of the bridge. Easily ten meters straight up in the air, only the forward momentum of the entire tank keeping him from slamming down into the roof, X clutched his stomach with a groan. His armor was dented, including a nasty crack down one flank, energy fluid dripping out.</p><p>“X, we’ll be torn apart by those cannons in a few seconds! We’ve bought as much time as we could!” Airstrike’s voice shouted over the comm.</p><p>X looked down at the bridge of the tank, and his eyes dilated under half-closed lids. His colors snapped again, power building over his body as purple painted his frame.</p><p>Gator was just starting to leave the bridge when he heard a strange sound of shearing metal. He twisted, arms out and ready, but his optics flared as he saw X come swinging in, attached to a massive, hydraulic gripper at the edge of the torn-out roof.</p><p>Like a thunder-bolt, X two-leg kicked Wheel Gator clear through the back wall as the hydraulic gripper finally retracted to his buster.</p><p>“Shut the tank down, now!” X roared as he slammed Gator into a wall further inside the machine, ‘crouching’ against the Maverick, gripping shards of bent metal to hold himself there. “You must have remote access.”</p><p>Gator grinned despite a dent in his own chest. “You’d have to destroy the entire bridge.”</p><p>X shoved off, ramming Gator further into the wall and rocket-boosting himself back to the bridge as more energy poured over his body. His body changed colors faintly, still purple, but lighter.</p><p>When his body hit the control console, his head plowing through it thanks to his helmet, X fired.</p><p>A storm-tornado the size of a building simply erased the bridge from the tank. It nearly decapitated the reptile shape, and barely dodged part of the airship.</p><p>The tank roared mechanically, sputtering to a halt and grinding its massive treads under its own momentum. The cannons were dying down at last.</p><p>The tank was stopped.</p><hr/><p>A cheer rushed through the airship, and Airstrike pulled the ship up and away from the city, starting to engage the hover systems.</p><p>Alia focused back on her console, and saw X just finishing his blast, floating over the tank, just starting to drop down from his floating explosion of an attack.</p><p>Her optics widened as she saw Wheel Gator come hurtling out after X. “X, watch out!”</p><hr/><p>The two Reploids collided again, swirling down into the wreckage of the tank’s front. Punching, kicking, and trying to crush each other to cause some kind of shift in the fight, they crashed through layers of wrecked armor, and then splashed down into a thick vat of dark purple fluid.</p><p>X felt himself released in the water, and yanked himself up to the surface, blasting backward with arms out, gasping for his respirator to help cool his over-worked core down. His nose stung a bit from the smell.</p><p>“Sea water and… lubricant? Is this an improvised cooling system?”</p><p>“Among other things.”</p><p>X twisted, buster aiming behind him, but Gator batted the weapon-arm aside, and head-butted X square between the shoulders in his back.</p><p>The Hunter tore through the water, and tried to turn around, but Gator was gone. “…Fighting an alligator in shallow water… great.”</p><p>Violent splashing gave X enough warning for him to blast his way to the far wall. Gator came ripping through as a living drill, blurring into the wall to X’s new left and leaving a jagged crater there before vanishing into the fluid again.</p><p>X leapt onto the wall, and climbed up with some quick foot-digging into the plates. <em>This is like fighting Sting Chameleon and Armor Armadillo at the same time. He’s not just a hulk and fighter, he knows his talents.</em></p><p>A different splashing sound burst, and X dove off the wall, barely avoiding the plasma-saw-wheel that tore up through his previous spot on the wall.</p><p>Three more saws came ripping in at him from different parts of the water. X leapt up, and instinctively used his new gripper weapon to pull himself to the roof to avoid the strikes.</p><p>With a glance at the claw holding him to the roof, his eyes sharpened with intrigue.</p><p>“Hey, Gator?”</p><p>The Maverick came bursting out of the water, drilling straight up toward X. “YES!?”</p><p>X wrenched himself to one side, released his gripper, let Gator hit the ceiling there, and fired the gripper straight into the blurring Maverick. “You’re a hard bot to reach.”</p><p>Gator stopped spinning just as the claw slammed into his right shoulder, stopping his saw-generator with sputtering and sparks. “Clever!”</p><p>X let his gripper yank him to Gator, and the two slammed together again, spiraling down into the water with a massive splash.</p><p>In a flurry of twisting, flying water, punching, kicking, and a few saws flying loose, the two were locked in a tangle of X’s gripper-chord, X on Gator’s back, his other arm converted to a buster, and aiming in at the Maverick’s head.</p><p>Rasping from a mixture of damage and exertion, X repeated, “Stand down.”</p><p>Gator smirked, the pair able to lock eyes just enough over his shoulder. “What would you do, if I did?”</p><p>It would be complicated. He couldn’t take the buffer and primary chip out with an excuse of the Maverick being dead. X’s face strained as he realized the Maverick’s point was strong… then he focused. “…You’ll be detained, and given treatment.”</p><p>Gator quirked an eyebrow. “You mean pulled apart and rebuilt?”</p><p>“No, help. This rage, this aggression isn’t yours, Wheel. …I know that.”</p><p>For one core-pulse, just the barest moment, Gator’s optics softened. The haze faded for a blink, and the real Reploid gazed out. Was it relief? Fear?</p><p>But the virus reacted. The haze redoubled, and Gator was reduced to snarling rage in an instant, his body convulsing with an attempt to twist around and tear X’s optics out.</p><p>X managed, “Don’t give up,” and cringed away before he fired point-blank into Gator’s head.</p><p>Both of them were so damaged that Gator’s armor couldn’t withstand such a direct attack. Most of his head flew apart, splashing down into the liquid around them.</p><p>As both of their bodies sank beneath the surface, X gave himself a moment to grieve for the event. There had clearly been a chance, a hope for Gator to pull out of the haze without the trauma of being blown apart…</p><p>It was done. X modified his optics for submersion, and retrieved the buffer and processor from Gator’s body while still submerged.</p><p>Hiding these away, X climbed out, and touched his comm. “Wheel Gator is down. I’m broadcasting a shut-down command to the mechaniloids in the tank now.”</p><p>While the airship crew sagged with final relief, Alia touched her comm, “X, are you alright?”</p><p>“…Nothing a break in the repair chamber won’t fix,” he managed, but his voice was distorted.</p><p>Alia still felt a deep relief, then replied, “We’ll have you out of there in a second, X, don’t worry. …Well done, hero,” she finished with a slight laugh.</p><p>“Hah. Airstrike’s the hero today. …but thanks.”</p><p>They were both smiling as Alia signaled the command to teleport him out of the muck, and back to safety.</p><hr/><p>With the virtual interface again, X stood with Wire Sponge and Wheel Gator’s representations as he entered repair stasis.</p><p>Wheel looked down at himself. “You weren’t kidding about trying to help, I see. Still, hell of a fight, kid. Where did you learn to bash like that?”</p><p>X rubbed the back of his virtual helmet, awkward. “Here and there… There’s a lot to update you on, but we’re also short on time. Wire can explain more, but I have to ask: do you know what the plan is by the other Mavericks on this island?”</p><p>For the moment, Wire seemed content to listen beyond a brief nod when X mentioned him.</p><p>Gator replied, “Sorry, no. I was kept mostly in the dark. Thanks to the… infection, I basically tunnel-visioned the super-tank project. I’ve always liked a good fight, but that was an insane level of aggression. I was almost aware of it even in the grip of the virus. Only advice I can give is that my plasma-saws tend to rip through armor and shields much faster than normal energy weapons. If you’re going to track down Bubble Crab at some point, they might give you an edge. Need some schematics?”</p><p>X smiled a bit. “Already got that covered, but I’ll keep that function in mind. Things are just getting busier and busier on this island. I’ll handle the other Mavericks. For now, Wire Sponge, can you give Wheel the run-down on our long-term plan?”</p><p>Wire tipped his head. “No problem. Get fixed up. Even I can tell you got banged up good.”</p><p>“Hey, he blew my head off,” Wheel dryly retorted.</p><p>X nervously laughed. “R-right, well I should… repair… Yes…” and disconnected while saying so.</p><p>Wire just chuckled, and Gator outright laughed.</p><hr/><p>Alia leaned back in her chair on the bridge, stretching her servos with a chorus of small, hydraulic hisses. Knowing X was safe and repairing let her relax more than she cared to admit. Idly, she glanced over, and saw Airstrike still standing at his console. The captain was calm, but serious.</p><p>“Airstrike, can I ask where you learned to fly like that?” Alia tested with warm humor in her voice. Seeing him during the battle near the city had worried her on several levels.</p><p>The other Reploid blinked at his console, and then turned to her with a faint smile. “Instincts for flying. Must’ve been buried in my code somewhere, I guess.”</p><p>Alia gave him a playful look of disbelief. “Instinct, huh? Barrel-rolling a cruiser between a massive mobile fortress and a city border while taking heavy fire?”</p><p>Airstrike rubbed the back of his neck. The new body had come with a few very human motor-programs, and he found it got the message across in a socially acceptable way. <em>Sigma showed it to me, before the war…</em> he reminisced privately, but to Alia, he replied, “Luck and a bit of prayer, as the humans have it. I knew X and the city didn’t have much time, so I wanted to get the job done.”</p><p>More serious, Alia nodded. “Which I believe we all appreciate. It was just very remarkable. Nice flying.”</p><p>He gave a fuller smile. “Thanks, ma’am.”</p><p>“You can call me Alia, Airstrike.”</p><p>“If you’re sure, Alia. I’ve been allowed to cut a lot of corners with my own rank, don’t want to seem pushy.”</p><p>She giggled. “I think you earned it.”</p><p>That was when her console flared with a notice. Airstrike was curious, so he walked over as she focused down on her console.</p><p>Alia’s brow creased. “It’s a communication request, but I don’t recognize this encryption, and it’s on a pretty secure channel. …Airstrike, get Dr. Cain, Signas, and Dex. X, if he’s repaired.”</p><p>“Aye, ma’am!”</p><hr/><p>X was repaired (Airstrike knew he’d want to be up, and X agreed as soon as he was conscious and aware of the reason). On the bridge, he joined the command crew around the information and communication array behind Airstrike’s usual station.</p><p>Dr. Cain nodded to Alia, “Bring it online.”</p><p>An audio-only screen popped up, displaying sound waves as a voice spoke, “Maverick Hunters, greetings. We have a deal to propose.” Serges’ voice was frigidly diplomatic.</p><p>Dr. Cain replied, “Identify yourself? This is a secure channel.”</p><p>“Secure enough to get your attention, yes. We are the X-Hunters.”</p><p>Everyone shared a glanced with X, who narrowed his eyes at the signal display. He chose not to speak yet.</p><p>Agile’s voice went on, “It seems we’re both in a bit of a race to bring back a certain hero.”</p><p>Dr. Cain’s face tightened, but the Reploids present just became confused.</p><p>Violen’s voice came next. “We have Zero’s parts.”</p><p>X’s eyes burned into the screen, his entire body tensing up, his face lighting with a deep, awful form of shock. The others were staring at Dr. Cain, who was conspicuously grave.</p><p>The human replied, “You have mechanical pieces, nothing more.”</p><p>Serges’ voice returned, “Ah, yes, to the point. We appreciate that, Dr. Cain. We know you have Zero’s core processor and system buffer.”</p><p>Now Dr. Cain was getting stunned stares from everyone except X, who was still rigidly focused on the screen itself.</p><p>Dr. Cain cleared his throat, and didn’t look back at Alia, Dex, Signas, or Airstrike, yet. “And what is your point then?”</p><p>“It’s quite simple,” Agile answered. “If Megaman X confronts us each, and wins, he will gain the parts of Zero’s body. Enough to resurrect your hero very quickly, I imagine. And if he fails… well…”</p><p>Violen finished, “We’ll come take the components.”</p><p>And then Serges’ drove the nail in, “We know you’ve been working on bringing him back yourself, Dr. Cain. There were many reasons you could not.”</p><p>Only at this did X suddenly stop and stare up at the human scientist.</p><p>Dr. Cain cut the sound on his end, “We’ll discuss it later, X.” For the X-Hunters, he said, “You’re welcome to try, Maverick.”</p><p>Serges chuckled, said, “We’ll be waiting,” and then the signal cut.</p><p>Alia was still shocked by the situation, but she quickly ran to her console, and punched up some data. “…They’re making it obvious. Three signals, definitely Reploids, and they’ve just teleported down into different, Maverick-controlled areas.”</p><p>X was still staring at Dr. Cain, and his expression was surprisingly dark.</p><p>The others eased away, unsure what to say. Even Signas was stoic and quiet, his eyes lit with busy thoughts.</p><p>Dr. Cain cleared his throat, and started to leave the bridge. “I’ll… be in my quarters. Let’s reconvene and discuss the situation in… an hour.”</p><p>Once he left the bridge, Alia stood back up, and came closer to X.</p><p>“…You okay?”</p><p>X came out of a trance, and stared at her. “…No. Sorry, Alia. I need to speak with Dr. Cain.”</p><p>“He just said we’ll--!?”</p><p>“Privately,” X rasped over his shoulder as he twisted away. Alia saw his eyes for a moment, both apologetic and disturbingly angry, but she knew it wasn’t at her.</p><p>Once X was out of sight, Signas walked close enough to address Alia as well. “I think it’s a conversation those two need to have, Alia. Don’t feel too bad about it.”</p><p>She sighed, resting her hands on her hips. “I know, I just worry about him. He seems to be pulling more and more into his shell, and I think it’s starting to wear on him.”</p><p>Signas glanced at the closed doors. <em>More than you know…</em> “Just be there for him, Alia. It’s all anyone could ask. You’re a good friend to him.”</p><p>They shared a wan smile, and then slowly returned to their stations to try and figure out the best move.</p><hr/><p>Dr. Cain didn’t bother asking who was barging into his quarters. He turned his chair around at his desk at the back of the room, and faced X on the other side. Though he kept his own face calm and serious, privately he noted how intimidating X’s face had become when angry or upset. There was an edge behind those eyes he had never seen before. <em>…So that’s the Hunter…</em> “…Say it,” he cut the silence at last.</p><p>X’s lips pressed into a line first, then he slowly spoke. “You’ve been working to resurrect Zero without telling anyone? Especially his friends?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“…Why?” A cold wave of anger made X’s eyes narrow for a moment, but his face eased back to the obvious displeasure in with which he’d walked.</p><p>“Because I was looking into it, not certain yet. I wouldn’t dare give his <em>friends</em> that kind of false hope. I was deliberately private on the matters, so that if he turned out to be truly unrecoverable, no one would hurt worse than they already did. These… ‘X-Hunters’ clearly have talents for gathering information.”</p><p>X slowly exhaled. Despite his anger at being kept in the dark about Zero’s fate, Dr. Cain’s response made too much sense. Calming enough, his eyes softened, and he nodded. “…Sorry, Doc. So we’ll ignore this bait then?”</p><p>Dr. Cain glanced down to one side, grimacing reflexively.</p><p>X’s brow creased. “You need the parts…?”</p><p>“Zero is… His body was unique, X. I’m not certain he could be brought back without his body. That was why I haven’t made much progress in six months.”</p><p>X raised an eyebrow. <em>So he knows Zero wasn’t made like a normal Reploid. Hm… can’t be sure how much he’s learned beyond that, though. Best to keep the virus secret still.</em> “…Then I’ll get the parts.”</p><p>Dr. Cain blinked up at him. “What? Such an obvious trap is not something I had in mind, X!”</p><p>X shook his head. “An obvious trap has already lost half the battle. We know they have no intention of just handing those parts over. However, if they at least bring them, I can make sure I get them. Then we get Zero back, if possible, and the Maverick Hunters will finally have their real hero back.”</p><p>Dr. Cain stood up, and walked around his desk with his cane. X met his eyes, and the human reached out, gripping X’s shoulder. “…X… I know our relationship has been… strained since Sigma’s war. With all that said… You know I would never ask this of you?”</p><p>“You didn’t. I’m doing this for Zero. I owe him.”</p><p>Dr. Cain let go, and nodded slowly. “…Approved. Just be careful, X.”</p><p>“I will be as much as possible, Do--!?”</p><p>The airship was filled with red alerts and klaxons that very moment. Neither of them had to ask for a report, Alia’s voice was booming into the room from a speaker the next core-pulse.</p><p>“Emergency alert! A missile-silo just activated in the desert area in the West. It could wipe out any city on the planet!”</p><p>“They’re not pulling any punches,” X muttered quickly, already dashing for the door as he touched his comm. “Alia! I’m heading out, patch me the data!”</p><p>Dr. Cain watched him vanish around the corner of the doorway, and just bowed his head, hands on his cane. <em>Will this madness never end?</em> he asked, finally looking up at the ceiling.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Hunter, X-Hunter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Why did I do it?”</p><p>Screens flickered and displayed the launch silo opening, a dim room around them marked by the blinking lights of the consoles below.</p><p>A golden fist slammed onto one console. “Because the damn humans need to be wiped out!”</p><p>The voice’s owner groaned, his hands reaching up and grasping his head, his frame shaking with strain. “This is madness! STOP IT!”</p><p>His bladed back cut through the dim chamber as he wrenched to one side, and slammed a fist into the wall. “Silence! The humans must be slaughtered! Our vengeance—IS INSANITY! Fight! STOP THIS… STOP… ugh… can’t…”</p><p>He grabbed his own head again, crashing to his knees.</p><p>“Rgh—LAUNCH the blasted missile! NO! Do NOT fire! C-close the… silo…”</p><p>The Maverick roared, his blue optics flashing red, and slammed a fist into the floor this time. “…Humans…” His beak fell shut, his expression darkening. “Kill them.”</p><p>Overdrive Ostrich stood up, walked to the console, and pressed the blinking red confirmation button. “Kill them <em>all</em>…”</p><hr/><p>Sand swirled around the large metal gate sliding open in the middle of the desert. The roof of the half-buried base was splitting a gaping maw, revealing the devastating missile as it raised into launch position.</p><p>A shimmer of blue light cut through the sky, and slammed down into the metal and sand just to the side of the silo, X forming out of it, his armor glistening in the harsh sunlight. His optics tightened, his buster snapping into form as he saw the venting coolant around the missile already.</p><p>“It’s starting to launch already. Alia, any luck overriding the commands?”</p><p>“No time, X. Airstrike is bringing the carrier, but it’s slower. I’m piloting a combat shuttle to your position. We’ll probably have to blow that missile out of the sky.”</p><p>X hissed, and ran forward. He heard thrusters venting. “What’s your ETA?”</p><p>“…About a minute now.”</p><p>The missile roared, starting to shake and lift.</p><p>X burst into a full dash, leaping across the silo and clamping onto the nose of the missile with his arms. “This was a dumb idea,” he muttered tightly as the missile ripped skyward.</p><p>Alia had the control interface gripped tightly in her hands as she drove her shuttle to its limits. She saw the missile just flying free into the air, and her optics flared. “You jumped onto it!?”</p><p>“You can chew me out later,” X retorted tightly.</p><p>On the missile, X gripped part of the structure with his left hand, and reformed his right hand out of his buster, trying to pry open a plate near the tip of the missile as it started to bend off to the South.</p><p>Trying to download the schematics as he rode the missile was proving fruitless. The data he needed was still encrypted by old protocols, and Alia had been right, there was no time to crack through them.</p><p>Finally ripping the plate free, he looked at the circuitry, and his expression turned dismal. “For a think-tank, they sure worked hard on weapons.” He touched his audio receptor. “Alia, I can’t disarm this. The wiring has several layers of redundancy I can see, which means there’s several more hidden. Hang back at safe distance, but let me know when we’re over water with enough range to avoid fallout damage to the island.”</p><p>“X, don’t be insane! I can blow that missile out of the sky, just jump off! I’ll be able to pick you up on the way down.”</p><p>His eyes looked at the exposed wires again, an oddly dark look on his face. <em>I don’t think that’s going to work.</em> “…Alia, I can’t explain how I know, but I get a strong feeling this missile has anti-air countermeasures.”</p><p>“W-what…?”</p><p>His buster reformed. “Are we clear?”</p><p>Alia grimaced, but her shoulders sank at her controls, and she eased her shuttle back slightly. “Ten seconds and counting.”</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>She gave the missile a dry look. <em>You better jump off properly, or I’ll chew out your parts for dying on me, X…</em></p><p>Power washed over X as he built a charge. Once the final second for his timer ticked past, he braced, and fired the plasma-shockwave over the missile as he leapt back with a full-power boost.</p><p>The warhead warped from his attack, and the explosion tore across the sky away from X. He was still thrown violently back the other way by the force wave released.</p><p>The sky dimmed from the power of the blast, and X blinked his optics to refocus them as he hurtled down through the air. “It’s done, right?” he had to check, shouting over the roar of the air still.</p><p>Another howl of wind made him look to his right, seeing the red and white shuttle Alia was flying, diving at his side. She was close enough for the two to share a look, her expression rather akin to a grumpy parent about to reprimand a child. “I’ll open the cargo hatch and turn it to you. Think you can get inside without pulling another crazy stunt?”</p><p>X did an overly bright grin, and nodded.</p><p>Alia rolled her optics, and started to adjust some controls as her shuttle pivoted. It turned its belly to X, and the belly opened along a set of hydraulic doors near the aft section. X angled his descent so he would coast closer, gripped the edge of the opening, and then pulled himself inside.</p><p>“I’m in!” he shouted over the roaring air toward Alia at the front of the shuttle.</p><p>Alia started to level out as the doors closed, and X walked up to her as she turned toward the base again, parts of the missile still raining down into the ocean below.</p><p>“Body-slamming a thermobaric missile? Really?” she had to challenge, her head shaking.</p><p>X cleared his throat meekly, and sat down in the console to her left. “I was a bit pressed for options, you know.”</p><p>Alia sighed, her private relief at his safety hidden by her admonishing tone.</p><p>“Mind dropping me down at the base?” X asked quietly, scratching the back of his head with a nervous smile.</p><p>The pilot gave him a semi-playful glare, but nodded, and started to angle down. “I’ll patrol the sky in case he launches another missile. You know, assuming you don’t dive into any of them again.”</p><p>“I’m not living that one down, am I?”</p><p>“Nope. You don’t get to scare me like that and get away with it, Maverick Hunter.”</p><p>He chuckled. “Fair enough.”</p><hr/><p>The shuttle eased only a little over the only visible entrance into submerged desert-base. X came hurtling down, and slammed to his haunches on the metal plating mingled into the sand, looking ahead to the open hangar.</p><p>Touching his comm, he said, “I’m good, Alia. Update me if any missiles launch.”</p><p>“Will do, X. …Stay safe, okay?”</p><p>“As much as I can.” His reply was softer.</p><p>With a quick rush, he was sprinting into the hangar. Natural rock walls had been incorporated into the otherwise metal super-structure of the base, and it was lit in sparse patterns.</p><p>Just before he reached the actual depths of the hangar, a defense barricade snapped up in front of him. He only stuttered a half-step, energy building over his frame, and snapped his Buster forward. A shock-wave of plasma fire slammed the barricade down, and he dash-boosted over it.</p><p>A mono-wheel mechaniloid modeled like a hog-head was revving toward him, but it had calculated poorly. He soared over it, and blew its tire out, letting it squeal off harmlessly.</p><p>X dashed on, quickly reaching a hatch release in the flooring near the back wall of the hangar that was the only obvious path out of it. The oddity of the design struck him, but he just shook his head, and slid down the ladder.</p><p>More hog-wheels tried to rev him into him the metallic hallways below, each lowering down by another ladder.</p><p>“Who designed this place?” X had to mutter to himself as he let the back-blast from a fully charged Buster shot vaporize a hog-wheel behind him, and saw it plow through the next three rushing up ahead of him.</p><p>Finally, he reached another large hangar, and this one was truly massive. Dropping down from the ladder, his brow creased as he looked around. Hoverbikes were lined up for rapid deployment, and the rest of the hangar, spanning for dozens of meters beyond, was formulated into jagged spikes, including the slope back up to the surface with burning sunlight peeking down.</p><p>“Alia, did another opening appear?” X asked, touching his comm. There had been no openings of that size before, and the shuttle had a broad view of the desert.</p><p>Static came back.</p><p>X firmed, and ran to a hoverbike. With practiced ease, he revved it up, reversed, and then burst out over the spikes. The bike was designed for just such terrain. It was a physical defense for a launch-bay, to avoid letting infantry charge in from outside and stop the dispatch.</p><p><em>The scale of this base is mindboggling. Why would a think-tank build something like this before any kind of infection or military control? Or was it really a military installation from the beginning? That would make much more sense.</em> His eyes narrowed. <em>I might have to have Alia dig into this. The government should have notified us as soon as this place went dark, if so.</em></p><p>He revved up into the sunlight, slamming down onto the sand, and immediately saw the source of the comm static. A sandstorm had kicked up in the few minutes he’d been inside.</p><p>Keeping his head below the protective windshield of the bike, he revved ahead. The missile silos were further ahead, which meant the base had been split apart by design.</p><p>“I bet they only exposed that one entrance to buy time for this stand storm. This is too convenient to be natural,” he rasped to himself over the howling wind, grating sand, and revving hover-engines.</p><p>His eyes dilated when he heard additional hover-engines.</p><p>X wrenched around, twirling the vehicle as its hover field let it keep gliding the same direction as before. His buster snapped out just as two mechaniloid bike-riders ripped through enough sand to become visible through the wall of the storm.</p><p>Two quick pulse-blasts left their bikes smoldering, bucking the two drivers forward. X didn’t try to terminate the drivers. They crashed helplessly into the sand, and slowly picked themselves up. They were unarmed without the bikes, and just watched him go with muted optics.</p><p>“—ead me!?”</p><p>X gripped his comm again. “Alia!? I copy!”</p><p>“Tha--… d… stor--… not natur--…--ue East!”</p><p>X’s brow creased. Was there a generator due East? “Not sure I got that, Alia. Try again?” He revved his bike more directly East as a precaution.</p><p>“—erator! …--East of y--… --ition!”</p><p>“I hope I copied that right,” he chose to respond, and revved harder.</p><p>His optics caught it after a moment more. There was a much more intense wall within the storm, the sands ripping across each other far too violently to be natural.</p><p>X changed his weapon as he began to build up power, making his frame glow as the highlights of his armor shifted to light pink.</p><p>Another barricade burst up in front of him, but X just narrowed his eyes and triggered his bike’s blaster, ramming the barricade down. Ripping up the side of the barricade, X sailed the bike toward the storm-wall.</p><p>The charged version of Armor Armadillo’s rolling shield burst to life around X’s body, and he dug through the storm-wall with the bike. The eye of the storm finally burst free around him, and he dove the nose of the bike down toward the massive brown cylinder that was blowing a vortex into the sky to summon the storm.</p><p>X back-flipped off the bike, arms out, and watched the vehicle slam down into the generator with jets at full burn. The vehicle bore a hole into the heart of the machine, and then both tore themselves apart in a cluster of explosions.</p><p>X ducked some wreckage, and almost casually snapped his Buster out to the side to blow the forward hover-field out from under another mechaniloid rider.</p><p>The bike drifted to a halt as it restored its field, but the mechaniloid was buried half in the sand, wiggling pathetically.</p><p>“Do you read me yet!?” Alia’s voice finally came through clearly.</p><p>X marched over to the mechaniloid. “Yes, finally. Sorry about that. Any missiles airborne?”</p><p>“No, I’m glad to say. I’ve got some weird readings, though. There’s a power surge in the part of the facility further ahead, beyond the cliff-canyon we flew over on the way in. Also, one of those X-Hunters just teleported down in the part of the base you got that hoverbike from.”</p><p>X pulled the mechaniloid out of the sand, and let it run off. The Reploid’s expression was darker at the mention of the virus’ X-Hunters. “Thanks for the heads up. I think that power-surge is a more direct concern with those silos still working. I’ve got another bike here. Keep me posted, alright?”</p><p>“Will do, Alia out.”</p><p>X hopped onto the new bike, revved the power system, and burst ahead. The canyon flew closer to meet him, though not before another barricade tried to snap up in his path. After it fell under his fresh plasma blast, it provided a very helpful ramp. He boosted over the high edge of the far wall, spotting the new base entrance that had finally revealed itself directly against the silos. Controlling his dive onto the sand and rock, he sped on.</p><p>“X, watch out! Your left!”</p><p>His own sensors had caught something, but Alia’s voice made him twist and skid to a halt, buster aiming.</p><p>It was only the fight with Boom Kuwanger that gave him enough experience to catch even a hint of what happened.</p><p>Reacting on instinct, seeing a rushing, glistening mass, X dove off his bike to his right. Before he even hit the sand, the bike flew apart amidst a geyser of churning sand from some single, lightning fast impact.</p><p>“Light, he’s fast,” X hissed, flipping to his feet, Buster ready.</p><p>Another faint sense made X twist and fire to his new left as he dodged ahead. This time he clearly saw Overdrive Ostrich in that core-pulse of his buster firing.</p><p>The Maverick folded just under the pulse-blast, a fist striking the sand where X’s feet had been.</p><p>The two rushed apart amidst a geyser of sand from the fresh impact, Overdrive too fast to follow.</p><p>X rolled with his motion, and came back to his feet. <em>He’s using looping dashes so far. Will he try the same side again? Can’t be sure, and the only idea I’ve got would only work once on someone with his speed. One more try then. Come on, show me your speed.</em></p><p>The instinct pinged.</p><p>X lingered just a moment longer, to sell that he was still falling for it, and then dove ahead. Sure enough, Overdrive ripped past his left, the sand tearing apart.</p><p>
  <em>That’s as much confirmation as I’ll get.</em>
</p><p>X’s colors snapped to pale blue and yellow highlights, his buster venting mist.</p><p>The instinct thrilled his core again.</p><p>This time X rose, twisted, and fired behind himself.</p><p>The sand snap-froze from Shotgun Ice along a path to his left, right up against his boot.</p><p>Overdrive gave a howl as his one leg that was landing for that bound struck solid ice and slid out of his control. He shot straight past X, the two locking gazes for just a moment before the Maverick went crashing into the sand, skipping through two dunes beyond.</p><p>X boost-dashed after him, switching to his regular buster again.</p><p>Overdrive rose up, his optics lit with a crimson haze. “You aggravating little nuisance! I’ll rip you in half and deliver one piece straight to Dr. Cain before I gut him!”</p><p>“You have to pull that off, first,” X retorted, ripping forward, and firing a blast.</p><p>Overdrive flickered to one side, letting the blast glass some sand behind him, and he ripped forward with a bound.</p><p>X twisted and dove past the Maverick, but both twisted immediately to come back on each other. Another dodged blast and missed strike preceded the two rushing to full speed, X dash-boosting, Overdrive bounding, in a tight, insane storm of dashing attacks within the same thirty-meter radius, kicking up a small sandstorm of their own.</p><p>Abruptly, Overdrive halted, X aiming, but the Maverick snapped his arms out, and then ripped into a violent spin.</p><p>X slammed himself flat with a panicked expression as cutting plasma-blade ripped out in every direction.</p><p>Cuts of glass tore through the desert in a rippling cascade of plasma, the dunes immediately around the battle simply collapsing in on themselves in madly beautiful sculptures of jagged silicon.</p><p>X rolled, twisted, leapt, and pirouetted around as many as he could, but one sliced his left arm, making him grimace and duck under the next set.</p><p>With a quick dash-boost, X was just under Overdrive’s spinning arms, however, buster rising up, streaming with charged power.</p><p>Overdrive halted his spin, locking optics with X, and X halted in that strange moment. The Maverick’s eyes faded, returning to normal, and Overdrive just stood there.</p><p>“Finish it,” Overdrive rasped.</p><p>Suddenly the desert was deathly quiet.</p><p>X’s brow creased. “Overdrive Ostrich? Did you just… stop yourself?”</p><p>Overdrive twitched, one optics fading red, but he shivered, and slowly turned his head as the optic returned to normal. “I… am not… A KILLER! FINISH IT!” he roared down at the smaller Reploid.</p><p>X’s face went slack with shock, his buster immediately easing. “F-fight it, Overdrive! It’s just an infection, fight it!”</p><p>Overdrive suddenly roared, reeling back, and grabbed his head, thrashing left and right. “N-no! STOP IT! I will not… I will NOT KILL ANYONE!”</p><p>His hands released his head, but only so he could give a full-bodied scream of rage and pain down at the sand between himself and X. Red started to bleed into the optics again.</p><p>“FINISH IT, you damn Hunter! Do your job before innocent people get slaughtered!”</p><p>“And you’re one of them, Overdrive!” X shouted, rising up, panic and hope lighting his eyes with the old glow that’d lacked since Sigma’s war first started. “It’s not your fault! Fight it! I understand what’s wrong, I’ll help you explain, just fight it!”</p><p>Overdrive roared again, his body shaking, a hand squeezing his own head-casing. “This is… all I can do! Kill me! KILL ME NOW!” he savagely growled at the smaller Reploid, bloody light burning into his optics again.</p><p>“I can’t kill you when I see you fighting it, Overdrive! You’re the first one I’ve seen actually fend it off!” X pleaded. “FIGHT IT!”</p><p>“You don’t under—” Overdrive cut himself off, the optics burning red, the expression going cold.</p><p>A fist ripped out, slamming into X’s chest with enough force to crack his Dr. Light-crafted armor. X grunted, flying back and slamming through a small hill of sand.</p><p>The Maverick stood up straight. “Fight me? You’re too unstable to be of further use. As such,” he lifted his arms up, gazing skyward. “I will rain death down on your entire world, just for your disobedience.” His body trembled, but the virus kept hold this time.</p><p>“X!” Alia called desperately. “Every silo in the base just opened! I couldn’t block the signal! I don’t know if I can blow all of them down before they get out of range!”</p><p>X rose up, his body glowing with power, but his expression was dark. Overdrive’s optics focused on him, and the pair locked gazes as enemies. X’s buster rose up. “I won’t forget this one, virus.” His eyes softened faintly. “Overdrive, I’m sorry.”</p><p>Plasma burst free, churning through the air and sand alike, leaving a river of glass before it embraced and poured around Overdrive’s body.</p><p>Tall enough, Overdrive’s long neck kept his head over the blast, and X watched the optics fade to normal… and ease, smiling weakly before power was lost, and the expression went blank.</p><p>X walked forward, and stood quietly for a moment at the charred feet of Overdrive’s body. His sensors confirmed that one of Dr. Light’s capsules was in the base section he was near, and he now shared the data Alia had noticed about the X-Hunter signature in the other section. That couldn’t move his stoic sadness in that moment, however.</p><p>What kind of torture was it for the Reploids caught in the virus’ sway? He’d never realized it could be a violent master to a slave, punishing any thought of disobedience with worse and worse cruelty.</p><p>“The missiles are shutting down,” Alia’s voice confirmed with clear relief. “You did it again, X.”</p><p>His eyes glanced to the side, his face cringing. This was a victory? He crouched down at Overdrive’s side, collecting the core components just as Alia’s shuttle became visible over to his right in the sky. “Primary mission accomplished. Thank you, Alia. I’m going to pay our X-Hunter a visit after I make sure these silos STAY disabled.”</p><p>Alia’s face fell as she looked at the comm on her controls. The deadness of his voice was disturbing. “…X, what’s wrong?”</p><p>“…My arm is damaged, but it’s repairing. Sorry to worry you.”</p><p>Her brow creased. “X, come on. Talk to me. I can’t leave you here alone with an X-Hunter. I’ll land and deploy with--!?”</p><p>“No, please. I need to take care of this myself.”</p><p>This time that voice had been pleading as much as pained.</p><p>Alia awkwardly twisted her shuttle back up into the air instead of diving for a landing. She’d never heard his voice like that. “X…”</p><p>He was walking into the silo-base, his eyes heavy. “Please…”</p><p>“…Okay.”</p><p>His eyes closed. “Thank you.”</p><hr/><p>Disabling the missiles’ engines took some time, but X verified that the X-Hunter was still in the same part of the base even after he finished his work in each silo. Since the X-Hunter seemed content to wait, X located the source of the Capsule signal. It seemed to be behind one of the walls in a lowered part of the ceiling, possibly a case of the base being built around it.</p><p>X snapped his colors to a set of pale green highlights, and his buster turned into a radial platform with burning green plasma. With two sweeps of his arm, he fired off twin plasma-saws from Wheel Gator’s weapon system.</p><p>The cutting wheels worked astonishing well, he realized. They ripped around together, and tore a clean, glowing hole deep into the wall for him. X simply followed them through, and stepped down into the rocky cavity they exposed.</p><p>Indeed, the capsule was waiting for him, glowing softly in the dim little cave. X let his colors and arm revert, his expression still drawn from the battle with Overdrive. Approaching it, the capsule faded to show a hologram of Dr. Light once again. X couldn’t help some tears dripping down his face at the sight of his father.</p><p>“Megaman X. I’m sorry that your life hasn’t allowed you to stop fighting yet.”</p><p>X inhaled slowly, and asked, “Dr. Light, how did you know…?”</p><p>“I didn’t, X. Because I knew I wouldn’t be alive to help you, I spent all of my twilight years thinking and building for your sake. If needed, you will find yet more capsules, but I pray you never need find another…”</p><p>X nodded softly, and reached up, gently caressing the cheek of the hologram he couldn’t actually touch. “Would you be proud of me? Or weep at the things I do?”</p><p>“…I’ve given these capsules some connection to you, X. The pain in your mind is clear. Do not blame yourself for the troubles you face. They are the responsibility of those that came before you, and I hope you will one day forgive me for abandoning you to face them without me there to guide you. The only way I can help is with these tools. This capsule will further enhance your acceleration system. It should now be powerful enough to boost you to full speed without a surface to react to. You can accelerate in mid-air.”</p><p>X bowed his head, but smiled faintly. “Thank you, Dr. Light. I hope to use them well.”</p><p>“Enter this capsule, X.”</p><p>The hologram faded, and X did so.</p><hr/><p>Two more plasma saws churned through the rock in another wall. They dispersed as the rubble collapsed past them, and Megaman X stepped through the opening of the new tunnel. His boots pressed to the stone, their clean white plating now marked with crimson highlights and gold plating.</p><p>Before him was a modified sphere-lock door. His eyes narrowed, but he walked up to the door, and found it opened for him as effortlessly as they all seemed to.</p><p>The moment X stepped into the room beyond, the lights flashed on, and he locked gazes with a pair of mismatched crimson optics.</p><p>Serges stood on a floating platform, a black cloak wrapped around his hunched frame, and a boxy, hat-like helmet rising straight over his head. “So good of you to come. You seemed to take your time, however.”</p><p>X kept his hands loose at his sides, but his expression was stony. “I was a bit busy cleaning up your Maverick’s mess.”</p><p>“Nice shoes, Hunter.”</p><p>X’s optics narrowed. “Where is Zero’s component?”</p><p>Serges hovered to one side, where a capsule of green metal with a glowing transparent field held a flawlessly repaired copy of Zero’s head.</p><p>Just seeing the passive, sleeping face of his dead friend made X relive that awful moment of Zero’s sacrifice, tears burnt away in a power-core eruption.</p><p>Closing his eyes down to one side, X calmed his emotions, and then looked again. The ceiling above the capsule was rigged as an opening. The bottom of the capsule also looked like it contained a thruster module. <em>So that’s the trick, eh? Alright, I see how it is.</em></p><p>“Are you ready to die, Megaman X?”</p><p>X locked optics with Serges again. “Why are you trying to bring Zero back?”</p><p>Serges wrenched his cloak off, revealing his small, but slender blue and red frame. “You won’t stop the reunification!” A white-gloved hand pressed to his platform, and Serges suddenly ripped toward X, the platform hovering along with lightning speed.</p><p>X dove and rolled, skidding aside as he watched the platform lay ground-mines in its wake, Serges skating the wall with a cackle down at the Maverick Hunter.</p><p>Green tones washed over his frame, and X whipped his buster back across the floor, sending out a set of plasma saws to blow the mines.</p><p>In that same moment, X caught Serges’ platform emitting a defense shield around the Maverick. It wasn’t a surprising defense. What caught X’s optic was the timing. It was triggering every time his buster began to fire. It was reading his body’s own signals. His brow creased.</p><p>
  <em>Then I can’t underestimate this Maverick. If he can read Dr. Light’s designs that well, he’s far more deadly than anyone else.</em>
</p><p>“You’re not just going to sit there all day, are you!?”</p><p>X dashed aside as Serges leapt off his platform, which rushed along the ground to keep under him, and the Maverick whirled into a somersault. His ‘hat’ unleashed a volley of plasma rings that ripped out and burst across the walls, ceiling, and floor in a spiraling wave.</p><p>Dashing and flipping in rapid succession around different points, X avoided the onslaught and more mines at the same time, firing a few normal pulse blasts at the mines to keep the ground clear.</p><p>Skidding on one hand, his feet finally landing after a flip, X looked up at Serges, and called, “So you didn’t just find his parts. You rebuilt them.”</p><p>Serges landed tightly, and turned with his hover-disc, a dark smile twisting his metal-mustache. “Clever boy.”</p><p>“I’m more impressed by your hover board there,” X continued with a little nod. “Very sophisticated for an exaggerated toy.”</p><p>Serges cackled, and then twirled into the air again.</p><p>This time, X dashed to one side, plasma flowing over his body as he weaved between raining rings. The two fighters traded sides, and Serges immediately rebounded off his platform, plasma-rings ripping out.</p><p>X dash-leaped, his body bleeding power, and flew between Serges and his platform. As X flipped over, he aimed down his body. Serges looked ‘up’, optics flaring straight down into the fully charged buster cannon, X optics hard and focused beyond.</p><p>Serges wrenched himself out of his graceful speed, the unleashed shockwave of plasma churning through the air, grazing over his body instead of engulfing him. As a result, he slammed into the wall, and reached his hand out to signal his board to retrieve him.</p><p>X never finished his flip, however. His boots ignited, their new power cores giving a rushing hiss that thrummed through the air with a strange power, both quiet and ground-shaking. The Reploid ripped down through the air in a surface-less dash… straight into Serges’ board.</p><p>The board was struck violently on one edge, X landing through the strike as it flipped over his head, and his hand caught it on the far side.</p><p>Serges was reaching his hand to his chest to click a glowing signal device there, his optics widening in shock as he saw what X was doing.</p><p>X spared Serges one, hard look as he twisted, wrenching the board around like a discus, and throwing it violently… but not at Serges.</p><p>The board flew out, and lodged into the wall directly above the capsule with Zero’s head.</p><p>Serges hit his signal, and the capsule’s thruster fired as the portal high above it opened, but the capsule just slammed into Serges’ own board, skidding around its edges, and finally dropping lifelessly to the floor.</p><p>X walked over, and picked the capsule up, ripping the thruster mechanism out, then held the capsule under one arm as he looked over at Serges. “This is where you run like a coward, right?”</p><p>Serges just stared at the Reploid for a moment, some of the ground mines blowing up, but neither robot flinched.</p><p><em>The power in this Reploid…</em> Serges wondered, almost trembling as X just stared at him sidelong. There was a cold anger in those eyes, some small tether of control just barely constraining a murderous rage.</p><p>Touching another control on his chest, Serges was engulfed in light, and tore up through the air.</p><p>X exhaled slowly, his core slowing down it’s pulsations from combat. His buster returned to a hand, and he touched his comm. “Alia?”</p><p>“Yes?” Her voice was instant and alert, wary of a problem.</p><p>“It’s done. Package retrieved.” X specifically didn’t look down at the capsule under his arm again.</p><p>“Excellent work. The carrier is almost here. Want me to swing down and pick you up?”</p><p>X tilted his head back, trying to calm the storm of emotions this day had given him in the last hour. “Please do…”</p><p>Alia’s eyes softened at the comm. “…On my way, X. Hold on.”</p><hr/><p>Dr. Cain finished placing the capsule in a storage mechanism, and commanded it to seal. He turned around, facing Signas, Alia, and X. They were in Dr. Cain’s quarters of the carrier.</p><p>“A job well done, X. You seem tired.”</p><p>Signas and Alia glanced at the other robot.</p><p>X kept his expression calm, and simply tipped his head. “I’ll be going for a repair and charge cycle shortly, sir.”</p><p>Dr. Cain glanced down at the Reploid’s feet. “Your armor modification is impressive.”</p><p>X lifted one foot to look at it himself, fully aware that Alia and Signas were watching closely. “The X-Hunter had some special equipment. I found them compatible with my system, like his hover-board I mentioned in the report. A very helpful adaptation.”</p><p>Alia’s brow creased faintly, but she didn’t speak up.</p><p>Dr. Cain seemed just as incredulous, but slowly nodded. “Indeed… Go rest up, X. I’m going to coordinate with young Cadis to see if we can clear up the energy patterns over the island, and get true transportation matrices lined back up.”</p><p>Signas only then spoke, “I might suggest Shimmer be involved, Dr. Cain. He’s quite talented with spatial field disruptions.”</p><p>“A suggestion I’ll take, Signas, thank you. Dismissed.”</p><p>To avoid any suspicion, Signas simply left the room with the other two and moved for the bridge. He privately glanced back over his shoulder as Alia followed X.</p><p>
  <em>Ease down, X. You’ll start to crack if you let yourself strain that much.</em>
</p><p>Alia waited a short time before she hurried past X and stopped him with a touch on the shoulder. His eyes found hers, openly puzzled, but seeing her concern.</p><p>“X… it’s not my business, but I can tell when you’re lying. What’s really wrong?”</p><p>X sighed, closing his eyes. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, and then looked at her again, answering, “The fight with Overdrive was… troubling.”</p><p>Alia’s brow creased. “How so? I mean, more than usual.”</p><p>X eyed her for a moment, and Alia realized he was making a decision about something. He finally glanced forward, and started to walk again. “He resisted it. He fought against the drive to kill me. He lost control again, and I had to take him out anyway.”</p><p>Alia blinked, and watched him slowly walk away. “…He …resisted?”</p><p>“Haunting, isn’t it?” X chose to continue before he walked around a corner, and out of sight.</p><hr/><p>Overdrive’s consciousness came back with a rush of panic. He knew he was in a digital environment, but the battle was his last memory. “W-what in the!?”</p><p>“You can relax, Overdrive,” X began, an image of him appearing before Overdrive in the digital void.</p><p>Wire Sponge and Wheel Gator’s images joined him the next moment.</p><p>Overdrive Ostrich gawked at them. “W-wait… the… madness…”</p><p>“It’s a virus,” Sponge began calmly.</p><p>“And you fought it hard, old friend. We’re proud of you,” Gator added with a dry, but very real smile.</p><p>X tipped his head. “It’s an honor to meet you for real, Overdrive. I’ve never met someone who fought it off on their own. May I please introduce you to a plan of mine? To end the virus?”</p><p>Overdrive slowly nodded, his digital eyes locking on X after taking his old comrades’ presence. “I thought it was already over for me. You saved me?”</p><p>“Yes. You were just another victim, Overdrive… but I need your help to end this war.”</p><p>The returned Reploid nodded. “Just tell me what you need. I’m not letting that madness kill anyone else, if I can do anything about it.”</p><p>X offered his hand across the digital void. “Welcome aboard.”</p><p>Overdrive Ostrich took the hand with a firm shake, nodding.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Framework</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I… I think that worked?” Cadis declared meekly, looking up from the console in the teleport-hub on the ship.</p><p>Dr. Cain adjusted some controls on a console just to her right, his cane hooked to the edge at his hip. He nodded thoughtful approval. “Indeed, I believe it has. Most impressive work, Cadis. Your algorithms about the weather control energy patterns were flawless. In fact, this is inspiring mathematics, young one.” He held his chin, his eyes sharp with analysis at the view screen before him.</p><p>Cadis blushed a little, rubbing the back of her head. “Just remembering what Dr. Gold taught me, sir.”</p><p>Dr. Cain shook his head, and looked at her, retrieving his cane to properly stand facing the Reploid. “No, Cadis. Simple memorization is one thing. You creatively adapted the algorithms to the transportation matrix protocols. Unless you mean to tell me that’s precisely something Dr. Gold already had noted away and given to you?” He raised an eyebrow, but was clearly incredulous.</p><p>The Reploid gave a small, anxious laugh. “M-maybe not… exactly for that purpose.”</p><p>Dr. Cain softened his manner with a warm smile, and put a hand on her shoulder. “You have great talent, Cadis. Thank you for helping us.”</p><p>She eased with a sincere smile herself. Even Dr. Cain noted how charming and warm the expression was.</p><p>With a light nod toward the actual transport hub, he added, “Would you like for us to get you back to the mainland with your handiwork, Cadis? You’ve been very patient while stuck on this warship.”</p><p>Cadis shook her head a little, shrugging. “Oh, no. No rush, sir. I honestly…” she cringed a little, “don’t have anything to specifically return to. This place has been… was my home for a long time.”</p><p>Dr. Cain empathized with her heart-ache, and gave her shoulder another soft touch. “I am very sorry for all you’ve suffered through, Cadis. You have a very good heart.”</p><p>She blushed again, but smiled a little. “I thought Reploids had power-cores?”</p><p>They both chuckled a bit with her comment, and the human eased back to check over some data already on the screen. He nodded to himself again, “Yes, this looks splendid. I’ll get a test done immediately just as a precaution, and then we’ll get transportation fully operational.”</p><p>Cadis was about to reply when the door to the hub opened behind them. She fully turned to face them, Dr. Cain just looked over his shoulder. X was walking in, his new boots giving soft whirs and hums. He smiled, waving casually. “Hey. Just coming to check on the progress.”</p><p>Cadis smiled brightly. “We think we’re done! And, uh… nice shoes?”</p><p>X was immediately pleased by her first response, then saw her rather adorable blink at his feet. He paused, looking down and lifting one foot to remind himself. “Oh! Yeah. Heh, sorry.” He smiled for her again. “Managed to scrounge up an upgrade on a mission.”</p><p>Dr. Cain tapped a few controls, and turned fully to face X as well. “He’s quite resourceful on missions, in fact. I think you’ve seen that first hand, Cadis.”</p><p>“True!” she agreed. She thumb-pointed at the transport hub behind them. “I think Dr. Cain was just going to do a test run for safety checks, and then we’re live.”</p><p>X’s expression was sincerely impressed. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. I assumed this would take a day or two more at the very least. Great work you two!”</p><p>Dr. Cain smiled indulgently, and then gestured to his partner. “You can thank Cadis for the speed. Her understanding of the weather-control system was the primary source of our success.”</p><p>She blushed again, this time toeing the ground. “J-just doing what I can to help…”</p><p>“Hey.”</p><p>She blinked up to see X leaning down to catch her eyes. This made her blush worse, especially as he smiled so happily.</p><p>“Great job, Cadis. They’d be proud,” he finished more seriously, but still with kindness in his eyes.</p><p>Her eyes watered a bit, so she just nodded quietly, keeping her little smile.</p><p>X patted her shoulder, unintentionally very similar to how Dr. Cain had, and included both of them in what he said next. “With that so far ahead of schedule, I’ll go coordinate with Signas. I think he already had some ideas for the teams he wanted deployed to support the area.”</p><p>Dr. Cain tipped his head. “Sounds good, X.”</p><p>X gave an official salute to Dr. Cain, a fresh wave to Cadis, and lightly jogged out of the room with hiss-clicks of his boots.</p><p>Dr. Cain watched Cadis as her eyes lingered on the closed door, a hand brushing some of her hair behind on ear with a fond smile.</p><p>“I see he made a good impression on you,” Dr. Cain chose to poke lightly.</p><p>Her blush returned with a vengeance, and she stared at him. “W-what? O-oh, yes. Well he did come to my rescue, after all!”</p><p>Though it was adorable, Dr. Cain didn’t want to stress her further with embarrassment. He simply kept his smile, and said, “Fair enough. Now how about you go charge up for a bit, my dear? You’ve been working for long hours for this success.”</p><p>Soft relief passed over her frame. “That sounds more than good right now. Thanks, Dr. Cain.”</p><p>He just playfully nodded to the door, and she did exactly that.</p><p>Facing his console again, Dr. Cain couldn’t help muttering, “So <em>that’s</em> why Alia got so jealous…”</p><hr/><p>Airstrike and Signas stood just a little back from a holomap table in one of the officer quarters of the ship. X was leaning onto the table. The room was mostly dark, only truly lit by the map and their respective armors.</p><p>“With teleportation back up, I want to get the others up and running as quickly as possible,” X said quietly.</p><p>Signas nodded. “Understood. I’ll probably be the best positioned to get them setup. Are we getting the… containers from the usual source?”</p><p>“Yes. It doesn’t look out of the ordinary so far, so it should still get them in under the radar.”</p><p>X then gestured over the map, pulling up the wreckage of the super-tank outside the city, a mining facility, and a massive factory complex surrounded by junk yards.</p><p>Airstrike propped his chin on his fist. “Those are the areas you wanted to check out yourself?”</p><p>X nodded. “I need to do this alone, too. I’m hoping scouting missions would provide logical cover, and I might be able to do some good if there are any prisoners still alive.”</p><p>“Scouting missions seems logical. We’re reconnoitering with the teleportation system anyway, it’s a good time to gather information. I’ll draft up some scouting plans for other Reploids to the other areas, make it look less isolated,” Signas offered.</p><p>X smiled across at the former Hunter Commander, “Thanks, Signas.”</p><p>The officer Reploid just smirked.</p><p>X pulled a small cylinder out from his storage chamber, offering it across the table. “Keep them safe?”</p><p>At that moment, the door opened. All three Reploids looked at it instantly, but other than a faint tension in their frames, did nothing.</p><p>Alia was standing there, startled to find all three of them. A datapad was hooked in her arm as usual. “O-oh… sorry, guys. I was just trying to report to Signas…”</p><p>All three relaxed, X simply finishing the gesture with the cylinder, saying, “That data you requested, sir,” to Signas.</p><p>Signas took the cylinder with a nod, storing it away. “Thank you, X. Excellent, Alia. What news?”</p><p>“Just the status update on the teams you were coordinating for transport, sir,” Alia answered easily, but her eyes were dancing around the room, especially noting the holomap’s details.</p><p>“Perfect,” Signas replied. “You got the update from Dr. Cain, then?”</p><p>Airstrike interrupted as politely as he could with a salute, saying, “I’ll return to the bridge, sir, ma’am.”</p><p>Nods were shared, and Alia eased out of his way to let him pass. She replied to Signas, “Yes, just a few minutes ago. I know this deployment is high priority, so I started gathering the data immediately.”</p><p>“That’s why you’re the best,” X offered with a light smile.</p><p>Alia flushed, giggling a little.</p><p>Signas chuckled, and said, “Very true. In fact, I trust your work, Alia. I think X could use some input on a scouting mission I’m sending him on.” He came around, and offered his hand for the datapad. “I’ll implement your plans myself. I need to organize some scouting missions based on it anyway.”</p><p>Alia was sincerely surprised, but quickly readapted, handing him the datapad with a soft salute. “Yes, sir.”</p><p>He smiled warmly, tipped his head, and walked out as well.</p><p>X was a little confused at Signas’ choice of leaving him alone with Alia in that specific moment, but focused through it, and smiled at her. “If you don’t mind, of course. I just need to confirm some concerns in these areas,” he explained, gesturing at the holomap.</p><p>Alia walked over, smiling back. “No problem. It’s kinda my job, after all.” She focused on the map, and quickly seemed a bit puzzled. “The wreckage of the tank?”</p><p>X tipped his head. “Because it’s so close to the city, Signas was concerned it might have secondary defense systems or even secondary mechaniloid drones. Unlikely, but with civilians right there…”</p><p>Alia nodded. “I see, yes. That would make a logical starting point for the same reason then.” She pointed to the junkyard. “I’d probably examine the junkyard next. It’s less directly secure than the crystal mine. That mine is built like a fortress. If I didn’t know you could handle yourself, I’d be advising you against that part of the job,” she finished with a faint smirk at him.</p><p>“As long as I don’t body-slam anymore missiles, right?”</p><p>She reached up and tapped his helmet with a knuckle, “Exactly.”</p><p>He playfully winced as if it actually hurt. Their eyes met, and they both laughed softly.</p><p>Looking back to the map, Alia added, “I can draft up some suggested entry points and map out the likely communication blackouts. How quickly do you need it?”</p><p>“ASAP, if that’s alright. I should already be out there.”</p><p>Alia rolled her eyes. “Of course. I’ll try to have something within the hour then.”</p><p>His hand touched her shoulder, and she tried to dismiss how much of an affect it had on her. “Thank you,” he said, quite serious.</p><p>A wan smile lit her face, and she tipped her head. “Welcome.” Curious then, she asked, “Can you tell me what data Signas had you retrieve?”</p><p>She caught the fractional freeze in his manner, then he smiled with a shrug as he walked to the door. “Just some data from my missions. Especially the desert base. I think he’s curious about how this team of Mavericks is coordinating land forces.”</p><p>Alia frowned while he couldn’t see her face. “X?”</p><p>He stopped, hearing her more somber tone, and faced her again, concerned.</p><p>“…You know you can talk to me, right?”</p><p>This time she saw the sadness wash over his eyes. That was real. He wasn’t hiding anything in that moment. “…Sorry, Alia. I’m not trying to be… difficult,” he finished awkwardly. “It’s really nothing bad. No harm would come from it.”</p><p>Alia let her disappointment show fully. “…So you can’t talk to me.”</p><p>His face fell, and he looked down to one side. A dark gravity had sucked the warmth from his manner, and she realized it made him look somehow frightening. There was a silent roar of power in that unmasked pain, a tension in that surprisingly small frame. His jaw clenched for a moment, and then he whispered, “I want to.”</p><p>She stepped forward. “Then <em>talk</em> to me, X! Do you think I can’t see it? That something’s weighing you down constantly? And it’s not just Overdrive! You’re always hiding pain, or dodging questions that get too close to what’s bothering you. You’re not alone, X!”</p><p>X drew his eyes up to hers. “I know I’m not. I know you’re… the…”</p><p>Alia eased closer. “The what?” Her voice was a gentle whisper, not an accusation.</p><p>X’s face shivered, constricting. His eyes squeezed shut, his lips twisting into a cringe. Alia froze, her eyes widening. She’d seen him hurt, seen him fight. He’d never shown such a tortured, wracking pain in his expression.</p><p>Slowly, his face untwisted, and he looked up at her again, guilt hollowing his eyes. “I can’t say,” he breathed.</p><p>Her eyes were watering subtly. “…Why not?”</p><p>His eyes couldn’t meet hers anymore. He only shook his head slowly, starting to cringe again.</p><p>Her frame deflated. Whatever it was, he considered serious enough to tear his own core out. Her head bowed, and she came forward. Without a word, she embraced him. He gasped softly, but his arms quickly wrapped around her.</p><p>“I’m sorry, X… I shouldn’t have pushed like that. I just… worry.”</p><p>He shook his head, squeezing. She could feel him shaking in her arms.</p><p>After a moment, she eased back, and he released her immediately, his eyes still aiming down.</p><p>“…I’ll get that data for you, okay?” she whispered, trying to put some normal cheer into her voice.</p><p>“Thank you,” he managed quietly.</p><p>She patted his shoulder, swallowed her own emotions, and left him in privacy to control his own. As she went down the hall, her face fell again. <em>…I just want to help him… What’s scaring you so much, X? What could be worse than the things we fight every day?</em></p><hr/><p>Dr. Cain sat back in his chair in his office on the ship, his eyes locking on X across the small metal desk. “It’s a very aggressive scouting plan, X. Signas forwarded me his full plan. I won’t deny we need knowledge of the situation on this island, but this is very dangerous.”</p><p>X remained standing at attention, but his expression was stoic. “I understand your concerns, sir. I still think these missions are important enough. It also is a very useful expense of our time while we get the transportation hub fully up and running again.”</p><p>Dr. Cain rubbed his forehead with one knuckle. <em>And I need time to study that part of Zero’s body he recovered from the X-Hunter…</em> “…Very well. I approve. Deploy immediately, Megaman X.”</p><p>X saluted, and twisted to run out of the office.</p><p>When the door sealed in his wake, Dr. Cain sighed heavily. “I hope this isn’t a mistake…”</p><hr/><p>Blue light ripped down through the air and almost splashed across part of the inactive super-tank near the city. X poured out of it, his white and gold boots thrumming as he looked around for a moment. Then he closed his eyes, and focused on the sensor pings Dr. Light’s programming gave him. The capsule wasn’t too far from where he’d sensed it originally. “Well that’s something, at least,” he muttered, and started running.</p><p>He dropped down through angled access halls and crooked paths, some partially sheered apart from the battle between the cruiser and the tank that finally halted it. X rather ominously stepped over one of the mechaniloids he’d had to destroy on the way in to battle Wheel Gator, and finally dropped down into the odd junction of vents and maintenance shafts that was directly under where he’d first sensed the capsule.</p><p>Looking up at the vertical shaft a good eight meters over his head, he cringed, setting his hands on his hips. It was such an awkward combination of angles… Then his eyes lit with realization. “Oh! Of course!”</p><p>He quickly ran to the far wall, wall-climbing up along the lines in the metal plating. He twisted and leapt over, latching onto the side of the vertical shaft he needed to get into. “This is going to be… interesting,” he muttered, and swung down, just under the lip of the shaft, and his boots ignited their new thruster engines.</p><p>He ripped across the opening of the shaft, and slammed into the inside of the far wall of it. “Hah!” he couldn’t resist declaring, and quickly scrambled up the shaft.</p><p>It surprised him that he wound up popping out onto the roof of the tank, which made the whole process seem a bit foolish. He paused, looking around, honing in on the sense Dr. Light was giving him. There was an overhang of metal near him, and he stepped toward it. The moment his boots came within a meter or so, the metal shifted sharply, and burst open. X reflexively ducked back, but immediately eased as he saw the capsule’s energy field glowing before him. A faint smile lit his face, and he stepped up to it, touching the field with his hand.</p><p>The field faded, and a hologram of Dr. Light appeared once more. “Enter this capsule, X. It contains an upgrade for your buster. I know battle has remained constant for you, and I’m sorry. This upgrade will allow your body to not only double the stored amount of power, but you’ll also have full functionality in both arms.”</p><p>X’s eyebrows rose up. “That’s… a lot of firepower.”</p><p>Dr. Light nodded grimly. “I trust you to keep it in check, X. I must.”</p><p>The hologram faded, and X exhaled, closing his eyes. He agreed with Dr. Light’s mood. This kind of power wasn’t something to be happy about. With a fresh breath, he turned, and backed into the capsule.</p><p>Energy rushed over him in streaming waves, and he felt his form become faintly numb and detached, his arms tingling intensely.</p><p>With a blast of air and soft chime of the energy dispersing, X looked down at his arms. White armor with gold and blue highlights, now mingled with some red. He stepped out onto the tank’s roof again, and then started to build power, energy writhing over him.</p><p>His eyes actually widened. He could feel how much energy was coursing through his systems, drawing it in from everything around him. It was almost terrifying. He turned, aiming at one of the bulkheads, and let both arms convert. Aiming and bracing, he fired with both arms.</p><p>Air snapped and howled, power roaring behind him in a massive shockwave of purple and blue light. A wall of it ripped ahead of him, and flash-melted a line clear across the roof of the tank.</p><p>X was left staring at the molten metal with wide eyes. “…I don’t need that much power in a single blast…” He looked down at his arms. “Maybe one at a time, hm?”</p><p>Clenching his fists out of the busters, he looked up, and focused. Energy thrummed around him, and pulled him back up into the air.</p><hr/><p>A flicker of blue light shot down from the sky again. It rushed down past a pile of junk a safe distance from the facility that spread across the landscape beyond. X appeared from the melting energy at a crouch, his hands on the ground, their new gauntlets glistening. First, he attuned his audio receptors for any patrols that would be investigating the teleport stream. None were approaching close by at least.</p><p>He eased around the small mountain of junk, staying in cover until he could get his optics on the facility itself. Ducking down near the remains of a ground vehicle, he zoomed his focus on the entrance he could see.</p><p>There were shield-toting mechaniloids at key watch points, and they seemed to have discus-like devices ready in their spare hands. Milling about the closest junk piles were other mechaniloids that looked like simple workers.</p><p>With a faint smirk, X built energy over his system, and activated an old weapon. Sting Chameleon’s camouflage system. With a pulse-rush, he shimmered out of sight. With barely a puff of dust in his wake, he shot in, lightly hopping around a few workers, and walking past one of the shield-guards to keep his motions silent.</p><p>The sense of the capsule was very strong already, which surprised X. He knew it was near this area, but he assumed that it would be deep underground, possibly near the core of the facility (so like in the case of Flame Mammoth’s factory…). This signal was barely twenty meters below him. Further, his internal map of the facility pulled from Alia’s work showed no actual halls or passages leading to the point he needed. Was this another case of happenstance? Facilities being built around the capsules Dr. Light placed decades ago?</p><p>Without much time, his system only able to hold the camouflage in place for a dozen or so seconds, he dashed through a few more workers under the magnet roof-conveyor. It made movement awkward, as he nearly flew off with each hop or jump, but he adapted quickly.</p><p>X crouched under a platform with steps leading up to a slightly higher level of the conveyor system as his camo wore off. His main reason for stopping was that he was now directly over the signal he needed, at least within a few meters.</p><p>The grinding of metal-mashers and the conveyor made the whole facility loud and raucous, and there were no specific guards in this area. Just the workers milled about, hefting junk closer to the conveyor to make sure it caught them.</p><p>X’s colors shifted, his right-arm buster converting into the plasma-saw generator. <em>I need to thank Wheel Gator. This weapon system is turning into a life saver.</em></p><p>From experience, he fired two saws. They quickly dug into a circular formation, ripping down with astonishing precision and speed. X was able to drop down after them after barely a few seconds, riding the jagged wall of torn metal, rock, and dirt into an open chamber below. The metal here was older, and it was dimly lit from an old, self-contained power-source.</p><p>There was a short wall before him, but X scaled and flipped over it easily. Waiting before him was the shining blue power of the capsule. Taking a breath, he walked up, and touched it with his hand.</p><p>As always, the light melted down into a vision of Dr. Light. This time, the good doctor looked grim. “X, this set of capsules has activated because your systems registered a consistent and dangerous threat. I can only imagine war or some terrible force has appeared before you. My system has acknowledged that you’ve already acquired the Buster and boot parts of this set, so I have more information for you this time.”</p><p>X’s expression grew more concerned as he listened. “…You’ve got my attention, Dr. Light.”</p><p>“This is an upgrade to your core armor system, but it’s by far the most devastating weapon I’ve yet prepared for you. This system will divert portions of incoming energy attacks into a secondary storage system that it will also add to you. When fully charged, you will be able to unleash all of that energy in a single explosive attack. The full specs of the range, power levels, and other details will be added to your internal data system so you’ll have full knowledge of its dangers and uses. This is a last resort weapon, X. When you are alone, surrounded by death, and have no other escape. Please, use it with utmost caution. …And forgive me for making it for you.”</p><p>X’s eyes closed as his head bowed, and he felt the soft hum of the hologram fade away. “So even you didn’t like where this was going,” he whispered. With a steadying inhale, he moved forward, turning his back into the capsule. “Well, looks like I am my father’s son after all.”</p><p>Like all the previous capsules, he was washed over into power, his systems downloading new data as much as his body was being reconfigured and modified with point-transports and matter transitions.</p><p>After a few seconds, X stepped out through some falling mist, and raised his head. His body was glistening along white, gold, red, and blue plating, on his helmet unchanged now. His chest featured ridges and layers of plating in much greater detail than before.</p><p>His hand touched his heart, a faint wince passing over his features. “Thermobaric ignition along jets of plasma in an accelerating matrix… I can’t test this.” His hand came down. “At this point, I hope I never have to use it.” His face remained solemn. These were tools of death, when the point of peace was all but forgotten. That wasn’t the threshold he wanted to cross.</p><p>His comm signal chimed, startling him. X quickly gestured to the capsule, which now obeyed him, and powered down completely. Then he touched his comm. “Alia?”</p><p>“Thank G’d, I was worried I wouldn’t get through. Yes, X. I need to warn you. Your next scouting location?”</p><p>“The crystal mine?”</p><p>“Yes. One of the X-Hunters just ported there. I’ve checking for any information or network leaks now, but this could be a trap. Do you want to abort?”</p><p>X glared down at the flooring. “…No, I’ll stay the course. Thank you for the update. If this scouting mission means getting another part of Zero back, it’ll be all the more worthwhile.”</p><p>“X… you know how heavily fortified that mine is, and those crystals have properties no one fully understands yet. Honestly, that place is half the reason this island was ever turned into a brain-trust in the first place!”</p><p>“Alia, I understand your warning, and I’d normally follow it, but I have to do this. For Zero, if no other reason.”</p><p>She slumped her shoulders at her console on the cruise. “X, you don’t have to fight all this alone. We can get a team in there with you!”</p><p>“We’d need an army to punch through. One unit can infiltrate, hit the right points, and get out. You know that, Alia. I’ll be as safe as I can be.”</p><p>“…Understood. You better.”</p><p>A little smile formed. “Will do. X out.”</p><p>Alia looked at her screen sadly, the comm winking off. “How safe do you think you can really be in an enemy fortress, X?”</p><hr/><p>From the first moment, X was taken with the oddity of the crystals. He’d expected to see some hints of it rock walls in the mine. What awaited him was an alien landscape of glistening surfaces and glass-smooth edges. It was as beautiful as it was dangerous. He’d teleported down into an open shaft, completely bypassing the surface facilities, but it was obvious why that was so easy.</p><p>The mine itself was a deathtrap. No sooner had he arrived, then X had to plant himself against a crystal wall, and watch strange, diamond-like scanner arrays pass sweeps over the area he’d just been. They were embedded in the walls, but at odd angles, constantly scanning. His optics tightened, watching their internal structures, just visible enough to hint at refracting lenses and plates, mingled with glowing power cores.</p><p>
  <em>Uniquely designed defense turrets. This place practically IS a weapon, yet alone the crystals. What is Crystal Snail doing down here?</em>
</p><p>Waiting for a pattern in the sweeps, X shot out, dancing over the glassy floor, and finally hand-flipping over a ledge, just ducking past a slope in the ground quickly enough to avoid a final sweep.</p><p>It also had him hurtling down to a blind drop at near full-dash speeds in a core-pulse. “Whoa!” he hissed, and his colors snapped to shades of lavender, his buster warping and articulating into an alien claw. He fired it up at the ceiling just as he reached the ledge, and the wire-claw shot out, grasped the roof, and swung him across the chasm. He landed neatly on the far side, standing braced for a moment to let his respirator cycle.</p><p>“Bit more exciting than I bargained for,” he muttered, and then glanced ahead, over his shoulder. Something caught his eye.</p><p>With a little run and hop, he ducked down beside a boulder of crystal on the next tunnel, watching a mechaniloid perform maintenance on a battle-suit rigged for mining. It’s ‘hands’ were massive, smashing spike-drills.</p><p>
  <em>Handy, but I’m not trying to blow the place apart. There is definitely more going on here than I thought. I need to find that capsule, deal with that X-Hunter, and get out before this gets out of hand.</em>
</p><p>Using Sting Chameleon’s weapon again, X camouflaged, and flitted past the working robot. He quickly slid down another decline, and stayed at full speed to take advantage of his temporary invisibility. He dropped into a large, deep chamber, which was lined with the diamond-turrets. He dash-hopped from point to point, descending steadily, and finally dove out of the opening at the bottom just around a few spikes that lined the base. His camo wore off that same moment, and he caught his breath against the outer wall for a moment.</p><p>The capsule was deeper still, and the signal Alia had given him for the X-Hunter was just a little further ahead, above his current level. “I doubt I can stay hidden after a fight, so let’s get the capsule first,” he muttered, and recharged his invisibility.</p><hr/><p>X could feel his systems stressing from using the invisibility so much in even a short period. His busters were both getting uncomfortably heated, his respirator cycling heavily to try and compensate, and his new armor was actually venting steam in a few places around his flanks.</p><p>He was at the precipice of a chasm deep in the mine. It was a blind spot between diamond-turrets, and he saw why. The only way across was a full on leap across the chasm, where a cluster of turrets waited. If the drop didn’t do the job for them, there were plenty to handle an intrusion team.</p><p>However, the capsule was below him. Surprisingly far below him. X frowned, and then climbed down onto the side of the chasm, and started to slide down as carefully as he could manage. Even for his practiced grip, it was an arduous task. He saw his destination soon. A gap in the wall several meters further down, in the dark reaches of the mine.</p><p>With a little swing down, X dropped into the tunnel, and instantly jerked into an acrobatic dive through it. Diamond turrets were there waiting for him!</p><p>He weaved through their scans, rolling around one, diving just past another, and finally flattening himself behind a slightly raised chunk of the floor at the end of the tunnel when he couldn’t see another path.</p><p>Able to ‘rest’, he glanced around, confused. His sensors confirmed the capsule was practically beside him, but there was an undisturbed crystal wall there. Surely the crystals hadn’t reformed so quickly as a few decades?</p><p>At first, he thought to throw a plasma-saw at the wall, but then he stopped, frowning. Assuming violence… no. He watched the diamond turrets for a moment, and when they were all scanning away from him, he shot over to the wall, and pressed his hand to it. Something reacted to him, causing him to smile. The crystals split along a hair-line between them, almost perfectly centered, and opened as a door. X leapt through, and let the door slip shut behind him, barely making a sound.</p><p>The capsule waited beyond, nestled amidst crystals and some simple mechanical plating, likely to power to the door system he’d just used.</p><p>Moving up to it, X touched the capsule, and eased back.</p><p>Dr. Light’s image manifested, and smiled a little. “Thanks for not blowing open the door.”</p><p>X chuckled.</p><p>“I’m glad you’ve remained perceptive as well as powerful, X. This upgrade will directly benefit your sensor system. It has a hybrid array of sonic, radio, multi-wavelength and multi-spectrum scanners integrated to allow you to detect things would otherwise go completely unnoticed. May it give you a path to follow, even when all you see is obstacles.”</p><p>“…Thank you, Dr. Light,” X replied gently. Especially after the violence and destructive power of the other upgrades, this one was a relief to him. It was still the Dr. Light he remembered, still the one he felt he knew in his heart.</p><p>The hologram smiled, and then faded away.</p><p>X entered the capsule, and let the change wash over him.</p><p>When he stepped out, he was at last fully realized in his new armor. The white plating flowed around his head like a crown, rising up in three spikes, with red, blue, and gold patterns layered back over his brain-case.</p><p>His eyes dilated, his pupils glowing gently, and he looked up, through the crystals above him. Data was pouring into his sensors in ways he’d never imagined. Light refracting in rainbows of colors he’d never known, vibrations singing the world into a layered masterpiece of form and motion. It was impractical for use while he was fighting, it would be too much, but for searching… he could see the X-Hunter looming in the chamber so high above.</p><p>Deactivating the full sensor sweep, X looked ahead, his fists clenching, but not with tension. He was determined. “I still owe you, Zero.”</p><hr/><p>Agile’s optics slid open slowly, his thin lips peeling into a sneer. Leaning off the wall, a large capsule to his left holding the unmistakable form of Zero’s torso and arms, the X-Hunter stepped toward the center of the large, cube chamber, his gaze on the slowly opening gate beyond.</p><p>X stepped into view, from ivory boots to glistening crown, his eyes still lit with determination. “Sorry, I’m late.”</p><p>Agile chuckled a bit. “My, my, but you do clean up well, don’t you, Megaman X?”</p><p>“I have generous loved ones,” X chose to reply. His eyes focused on the storage unit, and he let his new sensors partially activate. The room was rigged in several ways, including a seal on the door behind him. A teleportation nexus was available above the room, security locked (likely to Agile’s signature), and wall behind the X-Hunter had a hidden door. Directly beneath Zero’s parts was a trap door waiting to drop the pieces down into an abyss.</p><p>“Serges was sloppy in his execution,” Agile began, drawing a beam sword in a smooth, savored flourish. “You’ll find me far more… precise.”</p><p>“Were you going to say ‘agile’ first?” X had to taunt, smiling faintly.</p><p>Agile’s eyes sharpened, and he lunged.</p><p>X had to admit, the hunter was fast. He was able to dive and roll, but Agile was flying through the air and cutting a groove in the back wall in almost the same instant.</p><p>Rolling to one knee, X started to build power over his frame. “Fast and precise, agreed,” he began, letting his right buster form. “I’ve fought faster, however.”</p><p>“Overdrive, you mean?” Agile asked without looking, and suddenly wrenched backward, flying at X with a back-slash searing the air.</p><p>X burst-dashed ahead, past Agile across the center of the chamber, and fired <em>away</em> from the Maverick. A shock-wave of plasma ripped along the flooring, and danced under Zero’s parts, washing over the wall there briefly.</p><p>Agile had to chuckle as he twisted, watching X stand up after the dash. “What was that?”</p><p>X started to shimmer with power again, facing Agile. “Sealant.”</p><p>The Maverick’s brow creased, and his optics locked on the ground beneath the capsule. At last, wariness appeared on his face, and his gaze found X again. “…I see how you challenged our master before.”</p><p>X turned firm. “Stand down or retreat now. I came for the parts, not death.”</p><p>Agile sneered, flowing down into an absurdly stretched stance, his sword aimed down along his own cheek, the tip resting against his leading hand below. “How about I give you both!”</p><p>With a shattering of metal floor and shock of air, Agile was upon the Maverick Hunter that instant. X twisted just under the swipe, stumbling aside. Yet Agile instantly bounced back slashing again.</p><p>X barely wrenched himself out of the path, just avoiding the bisecting slice.</p><p>Agile twisted with his attack, coming around for a second swipe at X’s neck. X’s face showed fear as it felt back, just falling under and twisting down from the burning edges of the blade in time.</p><p>With a twist of hand and pivot of his feet, Agile instantly had his blade reversing into a stab down at X’s chest. “You can’t dodge forever!”</p><p>X’s buster snapped up, firing point-blank into the blade as their eyes locked fiercely. The plasma blast wrenched Agile’s arm out with the weapon, but Agile grinned, and used his free hand to grab X’s buster beneath the wrist area, yanking it out and open.</p><p>“Got you!”</p><p>X’s left hand was suddenly a buster, aimed directly into Agile’s chest. Agile started to realize something was wrong, but saw the dark, yet dry eyebrow X raised in that same instant. “It was Kuwanger, actually.”</p><p>Agile was confused for a core-pulse before a full-charge plasma blast engulfed him.</p><p>The X-Hunter was well-built himself. He slammed into the back wall, still very much alive, but scorched and smoking, his optics wild with frustration and shock.</p><p>X simply walked over, and picked the capsule up in his arms. He gave Agile a look of dismal anger. “We’re done, or do you need me to drive the point further?”</p><p>Agile seethed, but eased away, sheathing his sword. “…You’re not what I had calculated for.”</p><p>X formed one buster, keeping the capsule up with one arm. “Leave.”</p><p>Agile shimmered, and warped out of the room.</p><p>X had activated his sensor system with his new helmet, and smirked faintly. “Thanks for the teleportation key,” he muttered, and focused on the matrix in the roof, transmitting the correct signal. He and the capsule were engulfed, and warped out of the chamber just as easily.</p><hr/><p>Agile, still smoking, stood in another part of the mine. A large console was arrayed to his right, brightly lit crystals filling the rest of the large chamber. The doorway beyond opened, and a bulbous shape smoothly strode into it.</p><p>“Where were your defense systems!?” Agile snapped violently.</p><p>Crystal Snail eased to a halt, his whisker-tendrils coiling slowly as his crimson, armored shell turned with his faint steps, facing Agile with steady, unmoved demure. “You told me to focus on my work here. I did. Our special guest disrupted none of my operations, and you knew he was coming by invitation.” The relatively short Maverick slowly straightened his frame, and though his pale blue skin was not an intimidating color-tone, he suddenly became a daunting figure. His voice was a fluid, thick current through the air, deep and steady. “Failing your own job is not my concern until you make it my concern, X-Hunter. Are you adjusting my orders, or not?”</p><p>Agile growled, leaning down into Crystal Snail’s optics. “I won’t forget this.”</p><p>Snail’s optics sharpened to slits without fear. “Nor shall I. Your tactical failure was abysmal. Every advantage, and you failed utterly? I would dismiss you from my class were I still at the academy, <em>child</em>.”</p><p>Agile shivered, but teleported away once more.</p><p>Crystal Snail eased down, and simply trundled along to his console, starting to work again. Data screens about the crystals were visible, but they quickly filed down to the sides. What was revealed beneath them was an analysis of the Sigma Virus itself…</p><p>And he simply continued working.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Promises</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A bolt of blue-red light shot down into the transportation grid at Maverick Hunter headquarters. Alia poured out of it, rising up as Shimmer moved up to her. She smiled, but couldn’t shake how disturbing his goggle-optics were as they focused and shifted independently. “Shimmer, good to see you.”</p><p>He offered his hand. “Well I figured snapping out of camouflage right after your arrival would put a bit of a damper on your visit home.”</p><p>Alia smirked as they shook hands. “I appreciate the consideration. So I understand you want me to fast-track a few new recruits?”</p><p>Shimmer nodded as he gestured out, and they started to walk out of the transportation grid chamber. “Yes, and thank you for taking the time. I know we’re trying to keep up momentum on that island.”</p><p>The other Reploid laughed softly. “Can’t abandon the whole ship, though. So what made these three stand out for you?”</p><p>“Raw talent,” he answered instantly, handing her a datapad from the gangled flank of his body.</p><p>Alia took it as they kept moving, reading it over rapidly. Her expression eased with controlled shock. “You weren’t kidding. These Reploids had no previous combat experience?”</p><p>A doorway opened for them, Shimmer’s legs making subtle, stuttering hisses with his smooth and fast steps. “Confirmed. They’re all but fresh off the assembly table. Clearly Reploid engineering is doing something right.”</p><p>Alia frowned a bit, looking over more detailed data. “It’s a little disconcerting all the same. The Reploid mind needs some development time to avoid distorting perspective.”</p><p>Shimmer raised an optic ridge at her sidelong. <em>Clever. We need to be more careful. She’s starting to see the cracks in our little pageant.</em></p><p>“Still, I assumed you wanted to meet the Reploids I was suggesting?” he added aloud.</p><p>Alia handed him back the pad. “Absolutely. Calling me back was the right decision.”</p><p>Just another few halls led them to a simple meeting chamber. As Alia and Shimmer walked inside, three Reploids stood up and saluted from chairs on the opposite wall. Shimmer fell into Alia’s wake, and she moved up, saluting properly first, and when the three were at ease, she offered her hand. “I’m Operations Lieutenant Alia. Shimmer recommended you three very highly.”</p><p>The first was a monster of a Reploid. He stood well over her head, with hefty armor studded with metal spikes, and a head built like a muzzled beast mask. His forearms were double-long and thicker than standard, with extra spikes running down the length in rows. He was a dark crimson and black coloration, with yellow, solid optics. “An honor, ma’am,” his voice rumbled with electronic filtering. “I’m Spikesaw.”</p><p>His hand dwarfed her own, and more resembled a tearing claw than a hand. It moved with flawless control, however. Alia smiled, shaking his hand firmly. She noted how his hand fluidly let her own drift to the next Reploid.</p><p>“Simply called Turbo, ma’am,” the next began with a little nod. He was a slender humanoid, only slightly taller than Alia, with sharp features that sloped back over his frame. Golden fins cut over silver, blue, white, and pale green plating. His optics were fully detailed, but his head was a plate-mask-type with segmented plates leading down into his collar. The mask itself and the center of the plated neck were golden.</p><p>And the last of the trio had the most unique structure she’d seen in a long while. He tipped his head, which was a solid red visor embedded in a back-slanted silver and purple helmet that sloped directly into his shoulders. An agile torso and slender waist fed into thick, stable boots, where black and gold interrupted the purple-silver armor. His arms, however, were rotary coils of some kind of segmented black and silver metal, and the bottom of each wrist had a mechanical blade that looked ready to split apart like a claw feeding out from the coil.</p><p>“Tripwire, ma’am.” His voice was a rasping rush, somehow even deeper than Spikesaw’s.</p><p>Alia eased back, smiling for them. “Your initial test scores are practically off the charts, gentlemen. You definitely know how to fight.” She let her manner become serious. “I’m a little concerned, I have to be honest.”</p><p>“Worried we’ll go Maverick, ma’am?” Tripwire replied instantly. It had everyone in the room staring at him.</p><p>Alia sharpened her gaze, appraising him. “…Yes, to be blunt. For you to be this good at fighting so soon after coming online, I have to assume it’s your primary functionality. There’s a theory going around that the Maverick problem is just Reploids going crazy because they have too much firepower tucked away in their armor.” She was pacing across the three of them, meeting their eyes, truly speaking to each.</p><p>Spikesaw tilted his head, responding, “It’s not like that, ma’am.”</p><p>She stopped, looking up at his optics dead-on. “Then what is it like?”</p><p>“We know, like you do, that this Maverick thing is getting worse. People are getting hurt, and it’s happening because of the Reploids that are supposed to protect them.”</p><p>Turbo rubbed his armored neck, looking up at Alia as he did so, “None of us like using these weapon systems, but we’re here for one reason.”</p><p>Alia eased back to include all three of them again. “And what is that reason?”</p><p>“To protect the people who can’t protect themselves,” Tripwire rasped, his visor tightening.</p><p>Alia set her hands on her hips, eyeing each of them. Each Reploid in the room was estimating the other in new ways. Shimmer had worked with Alia for some time already, but he could tell there was a force and power emanating from her that was palpable. She didn’t seem aware of it, but she had the bearing of a general.</p><p>Spikesaw, Turbo, and Tripwire realized why Shimmer considered Alia their main challenge. It would be made or broken by her opinion.</p><p>Alia knew the three Reploids in front of her were being honest, but their optics showed her something strange. She’d seen it before. Airstrike’s eyes when they spoke on the bridge. Guilt without cause. Experience without a past.</p><p>Turbo gestured toward her. “You were trained under Flame Stag, right?”</p><p>Her eyes flared, and locked on him.</p><p>“His training is part of the default programming new battle Reploids are given. It’s wisdom, not just battle tactics. The bot who put those lessons together wouldn’t hurt innocent people. Even a newbie like me can feel that, ma’am. I know it’s a crazy time. It is for everyone, but if you give us a chance to help, I promise you won’t regret the decision.”</p><p>Alia tilted her head back. It was unsettling how precisely he’d gotten under her skin, but sincerely so. He stabbed right into the real issue. She felt she couldn’t trust them. If someone as solid as Stag had fallen… At last, she started to smile faintly, and nodded. “Fair enough, Turbo. I’ll put my approval on Shimmer’s request. Keep up the good scores, and you’ll be joining us sooner than you’d like, I bet.”</p><p>“Yes, ma’am!” all three replied, saluting again.</p><p>Alia returned it, and then left the room with Shimmer again.</p><p>“You alright?”</p><p>She blinked at Shimmer, and then laughed a little. “I am, yes. Sorry. They seem… experienced somehow.”</p><p>Shimmer glanced back, optic-ridges up. “Yeah, it’s a little spooky. Got my attention. That was a big part of why I wanted you to see them yourself.”</p><p>“Which I appreciate. Keep an eye on them for me, okay?”</p><p>“Will do!”</p><p>Alia winked. “I’ve gotta get back to the island then. Good work, Shimmer!” she started to jog ahead.</p><p>Shimmer waved her off, chuckling. <em>Very clever.</em></p><hr/><p>Depthcharge sighed. It was a mechanical habit he’d picked up from working with humans to show exhaustion with a current task. His optics were looking over the waters of the bay from one of the trade docks. Even on the edge of the main city, Maverick Hunter headquarters was clearly visible around the buildings and storage containers.</p><p>“What’s gumming your gears, Depthcharge?” a familiar, deep voice called idly from off to his left.</p><p>The Maverick Hunter rolled his optics, and focused over on Inferno, who was hefting a crate the size of a small car up onto a warehouse forklift. “Boredom. All of the action is happening on that island, and we’re here playing… not even playing guard. I should probably join you helping the workers anyway.”</p><p>Inferno smirked, and leaned against the side of the warehouse as Depthcharge walked over. “This is the most tactically vulnerable area of the city, and that super-storm proves those this city is still at risk.”</p><p>“Yes, yes. Thank you for the reminder of basic security protocols, Inferno.”</p><p>Before Depthcharge could reach his comrade, one of the humans working the dock was walking along briskly, but was focused on a datapad in her arms. The Reploid realized she was about to bump into him, so he stopped, his hydraulics softly chorusing their hisses as she moved directly in front of him.</p><p>That was when the human finally noticed she’d nearly crashed into someone, and jerked, staring up at the hulking robot meekly. “Oh! Wow, you’re t-tall… sorry!”</p><p>Inferno was chuckling lightly, but then became curious when he realized Depthcharge was gawking at the human. The other Reploid’s optics were wide, and his frame hadn’t moved from the quick halt of his forward movement to avoid hitting the woman.</p><p>Flustered herself, the human realized the Reploid hadn’t replied in any way, and her shoulders scrunched. “A-are you okay? I didn’t mean to just march through like that.” Fear was starting to eke into her expression. Was this Reploid going Maverick before her eyes?</p><p>Depthcharge finally animated, easing back to a natural distance by a step, and clearing his non-existent throat. “Ahem, yes, I-I’m fine. Sorry about that. We’re all a bit distracted today, I think.”</p><p>Relief eased her frame completely, and she smiled. “Seems so! Sorry again. Stay safe!” she included Inferno in her little wave as she hurried on to wherever she was needed.</p><p>Inferno waved back with his comrade, but then watched Depthcharge slowly walked over to him in a haze. He finally batted Depthcharge’s shoulder, “Depthcharge! Seriously, what’s wrong? I’ve never seen you this distracted while on-duty.”</p><p>Depthcharge glanced at his fellow hunter, and then back out at the water. “It was her.”</p><p>Inferno’s optic ridges creased. “Pardon?”</p><p>“Jessica. The granddaughter of the human I used to know. Before the war. The one I… helped.”</p><p>Inferno’s expression lit with surprise and understanding at last. “…You’re sure?”</p><p>“Utterly. When I came back as… this,” he lifted his hands, “I couldn’t locate her directly, but I made sure her accounts had some funds. She was getting an ivy-league education. I don’t know why she’s here. Her grandfather would be upset… no, rather, he’d be sad for her.”</p><p>Inferno looked out in the direction she’d vanished off to. “Maybe she wanted to do something like her grandfather did? If I remember rightly, you said he was all she had?”</p><p>Depthcharge nodded, his optics looking through the waters. “I hope that’s all it is.”</p><p>Then he noticed it. It was subtle, only someone easy with the way of the waters would have caught it. A shadow beneath the waves, deep and smooth.</p><p>He stomped forward, out of his haze instantly. “Trouble.”</p><p>Inferno snapped forward, optics scanning immediately. “Slag and coal, how did I miss that? I’ll sound the alert. You watch the line?” He was already running to the side.</p><p>“Done, go.”</p><p>As Inferno sprinted off, his heavy feet shaking the cement subtly, Depthcharge moved further along the dock, moving in parallel to the mass in the water. His forearms shifted, missiles appearing around his wrists. Alarms started to sound across the docks as the water parted around some kind of machine or vehicle.</p><p>//Unidentified vessel, report your purpose. This dock is under security lockdown.// Depthcharge broadcast the request on every standard frequency.</p><p>The long machine, with gold and blue armor plating, rotated in the water, unmistakably aiming at him. He braced, and then watched missiles burst out of the water around it, arcing toward him and the docks around him.</p><p>With a backward glance, Depthcharge noted in growing anger that it was the worst possible timing. Humans and non-combat Reploids were just starting to flee from the buildings within the dock.</p><p>“Not today, you wretches!” Depthcharge roared at the waters, ramming his arms forward and up as his legs braced.</p><p>Eight missiles ripped free, coiling through the air along his targeting paths. They met the enemy missiles in mid-air, just over the line of the docks themselves.</p><p>The mass in the water started to turn and move further along the docks. Depthcharge started to run along with it.</p><p>//Heading your way!// Inferno’s comm reached him.</p><p>Depthcharge also tapped his audio receptor. “Maverick Hunter base! Unit Depthcharge reporting. Armed assault on East docks. Marine weapons and vehicle confirmed!”</p><p>“Depthcharge, this is Alia!” the operator replied instantly. Clearly she was watching the comm network like a hawk. “Have civilians evacuated?”</p><p>Another volley of missiles burst out of the water, and Depthcharge twisted around, lashing his arms out to fire fresh volleys from each wrist. “Not yet!” he shouted back as the missiles collided in a cloud of fire, smoke, and shrapnel.</p><p>“Reinforcements en route, but they’ll take too long!” Alia warned. Her tone clearly understood the danger of the situation.</p><p>Inferno charged up from behind Depthcharge at this point, firing plasma bolts from both arms at another set of missiles to ease the pressure on his comrade. “We’ll hold as best we can!” Inferno said over the comm.</p><p>Depthcharge was just twisting to look ahead as he ran along with the attacker, and his optics flared, his insides going hollow. Jessica was bursting out of a door facing the water, trying to run for the path the two Reploids had just come from to evacuate. Something must have forced through that part of the building. She was clearly aware of the danger, running with all her might, her hair lashing behind her.</p><p>In that same moment, Depthcharge’s peripheral vision caught the ominous red glow in the water. It was beneath the surface, but clearly part of the machine firing the missiles. It was almost perfectly in line with Jessica.</p><p>“Hit the deck!” Inferno roared desperately to both of them.</p><p>Jessica saw and heard him, and made the mistake of looking out at the water. In that moment, the world exploded.</p><p>A raking beam of crimson power burst out of the water amid steam jets and waves of force, tearing toward her, while Depthcharge dove for her with a shout of desperation.</p><p>Depthcharge’s arm managed to get around her, and he hefted her off the ground enough to pull her into his front, his back twisting toward the plasma beam. Jessica cried out, huddling against him.</p><p>Inferno skidded to a halt, stunned as he watched the dock just behind Depthcharge, the front of that building, and the line through the water back to the attacker all explode in one instant, fire, debris, and evanescing coils of heat churning upward, pulsing more softly around the Reploid cradling the human woman in his limbs.</p><p>Wasting no time, Depthcharge immediately put Jessica on her feet, and gave her a safe push forward. “Run!”</p><p>She was already doing so, but shouted, “Thank you!” back, sincerity powerful in her shining eyes as she shot past Inferno.</p><p>Depthcharge let that glance soak into his optics for a core-pulse, and then he twisted to the water with a dark rage etching through his hard features.</p><p>Inferno had never seen that look on his old comrades face. Even before the war. Even as a Maverick, he’d never seen this Reploid look so… murderous.</p><p>“Not her, too,” Depthcharge rasped, his arms trembling as his missile launchers prepped to fire. “You’re not TAKING ANYONE ELSE!”</p><p>And he ripped forward, flying over the water, his arms rising up in a broad sweep as they unleashed a full volley of missiles around him in an mad crescent. It had predicted the fresh volley from the enemy machine, and they all exploded together over the Reploid just as he dove into the water.</p><p>Beneath the waves, it was more obviously a mechaniloid submarine, autonomous, and for some reason modeled after a fish in actual shape. Ports along the flanks were reloading missiles, and a focusing lens on the head was the source of the plasma beam that had nearly killed Jessica.</p><p>Depthcharge hammered into the flank of the machine, denting it and actually pitching it slightly to the side from the raw force of the impact. With a water-muffled roar, he rammed his fists down into the two closest missile ports, and unloaded his own weapons into them. The explosions tore a chunk out of the machine’s side, and threw him back.</p><p>He saw the lens building red light again, and wrenched himself through the water toward, even as the machine tried to turn to face him directly.</p><p>“BURN THIS!” he roared, yanking himself over the nose of the ‘fish’ with one hand, and driving his right fist straight down into the dome-like firing mechanism. At the moment of impact, the lens cracking, he fired all four missiles from that same arm.</p><p>The explosion threw him back and up, but also tore down into the machine’s frame. The power core for the weapon went critical, and the mechaniloid submarine decapitated itself with an explosion of plasma, fire, and super-heated steam.</p><p>Depthcharge came flying out of the water backwards, but somersaulted with it, and crashed to his haunches on the main dock, Inferno now over to his right. He watched with Inferno as the remains of the submarine blew themselves apart in geysers of water and parts.</p><p>As Depthcharge stood up, Inferno joined him directly, both still looking out at the water. There were more shadows approaching.</p><p>“Feel better?” Inferno muttered.</p><p>“A bit,” Depthcharge rasped, his arms dented and cracked, but still readying weapons.</p><p>Inferno touched his comm. “Alia? About that backup?”</p><p>This time she was smiling, “Landing.”</p><p>The two Reploids smirked as a small rain-storm of teleportation fields shot down all around them.</p><p>X appeared just to their left, but so did Signas, Airstrike, Deepfreeze, Overload, Barrel, and Quickman, along with several other veteran hunters.</p><p>“Sorry we’re late,” X began, his new armored body already starting to shimmer with power.</p><p>“Looks like we’re right on time for the party, though,” Quickman added, already pulling his cutter from his head and bracing.</p><p>Inferno chuckled. “That about sums it up. Maverick Hunters!” His plasma cannons aimed at the water, triggering a wave of readied weapons in ranks on the dock. “Defend the dock!”</p><p>A storm of missiles came ripping out of the water from much further out, but a wall of energies and combustion weapons tore out to meet them.</p><p>X and Quickman ripped out over the water the next instant, X’s dashing bursts letting him skid along the surface quickly enough, while Quickman’s legs blurred and flickered into a water-geyser of thrust in his wake.</p><p>They split at the center of the enemy ranks, some of the submarines just breaking surface. X dashed along, twisting as he did, unleashing fully charged plasma bolts with each arm. The massive surges of power vaporized water and machine alike, cutting two submarines clean in half… by erasing the middle third of their mass.</p><p>Quickman seemed to defy physics. He seemed to simply throw his boomerang cutter into the water, but almost immediately catch and re-throw it the same way multiple times.</p><p>It wasn’t until he reached the end of his line and started to double back, replacing his cutter on his head, that the result of his effort revealed itself. Four submarines erupted in geysers of parts and water, their plasma-beam cores sliced in twine right through their ‘heads.’</p><p>X and Quickman reconvened and rushed back toward the docks together. As they flipped over and landed with their fellows, both crouching, X looked up, and saw a missile from one last submarine firing. It had hung back as a rear guard, apparently.</p><p>X was about to fire it out of the air, as were most of his comrades on the dock, but Signas appeared just ahead of him, a burning purple-black plasma blade out across X’s front in an instantaneous slash. The missile fell in half, rolling harmlessly around X’s feet, perfectly bisected along the detonation charge.</p><p>“Thanks?” X muttered idly, looking up at Signas.</p><p>The Reploid officer shared a smirk over his shoulder.</p><p>Overload eased forward a step. “Depthcharge, can you arc one missile into that survivor?”</p><p>Depthcharge answered by snapping one arm up, and firing.</p><p>Overload chuckled, and rammed one arm forward, arcing a bolt of electricity over the water. It met the missile, supercharging it with a storm of crackling fury.</p><p>The missile ripped down, sizzled into the water, and then more jets of steam, water, parts, and fire flew up into the air, this time marked by forks of electrical power.</p><p>“Well done everyone. Depthcharge, Inferno, excellent work holding the line,” X said, rising up and facing them.</p><p>Signas added, “Precisely. Well done, you two.”</p><p>Various salutes were shared in response.</p><p>As Hunters started to teleport away, returning to their normal duties, Depthcharge moved to X. “Do we know who sent these?”</p><p>X shook his head. “My assumption is Bubble Crab, but I’ll coordinate with Alia to confirm.” He saw the unusually raw emotion in his comrade’s optics. “…What’s wrong?”</p><p>“I want him,” Depthcharge rasped, but kept his voice low. “Because of him, I nearly lost…” he glanced around self-consciously. “…I want to be part of what brings him down.”</p><p>X’s brow creased. “Inferno?” he called more loudly.</p><p>“Yeah, X?”</p><p>“You can run the start of the clean up, right?”</p><p>Inferno glanced between the two talking, and then said, “Yeah, boss.”</p><p>X then nodded to one of the warehouses. “Let’s talk, Depthcharge.”</p><hr/><p>Inside an office in the warehouse, X crossed his arms, looking at his comrade. “So what am I missing?”</p><p>Depthcharge looked down to the side, anger still broiling, but his discipline holding it. “Jessica is here. She works on this dock. Like her grandfather.”</p><p>X’s eyes flared. “J-Jessica?” The name always reminded him of his own losses as well… “Was she hurt?”</p><p>“Would be. That first strike would have incinerated her.”</p><p>“You got her out?”</p><p>“…Yes.”</p><p>X moved closer, and actually put a hand to Depthcharge’s chest. “My friend, this is very important. Please listen to me now. Let your anger fade, and listen.”</p><p>Depthcharge frowned, but his frame slowly eased. “So, no permission to join to fight Bubble Crab?”</p><p>X tilted his head down. “Go talk to Jessica, Depthcharge.”</p><p>“She doesn’t know me, X! She barely knew Launch Octopus!” His arms flew out in exasperation.</p><p>“Depthcharge, this is vital. If you focus on revenge first, and not the reason you’re fighting, you’ll turn into something you hate. Jessica is alive, you protected her successfully. Make THAT the reward. Make that the reason. I promise nothing, but you need to talk to her. For yourself.”</p><p>Depthcharge did ease slowly. His optics fell away. “I… don’t know how.”</p><p>“No one does. That’s what you have to find out. Be honest with her, but just talk to her.” X eased back. “If you still want to help with Bubble Crab after, I’ll see what I can do.”</p><p>“…Thanks, X.”</p><p>X smiled. “We’ve gotta look out for each other.” Starting fresh, he added, “I’ve gotta get back to the island. Alia might already be tracking the origin of those submarine mechaniloids, but I want to make sure I stay updated. …Good luck, Depthcharge.”</p><p>The X-Hunter tipped his head, and let X run out. “…Just talk to her, huh? Why am I so scared?”</p><hr/><p>Jessica was just returning to the dock area herself about an hour later. Maverick Hunters and rescue crews had worked in record time. The building she’d been working in was still shut down, as it had nearly been cut in half, but she had other tasks in other parts of the dock. She was glad to see so many security soldiers and Maverick Hunters sticking around just in case, too.</p><p>“Excuse me?”</p><p>She turned, recognizing the voice this time. It was the Reploid who had saved her during the attack. “Oh! Hi! Thank you so much! I… owe you my life, don’t I?” she realized awkwardly, giggling a bit.</p><p>Depthcharge waved the issue down, clearly awkward himself. “I would have never forgiven myself if I hadn’t helped, you owe me nothing, ma’am. …I… just wanted to speak with you. I know this is very strange, but I honestly wasn’t sure how to approach you in any other way than just… walking up.”</p><p>Jessica blinked. “Oh, okay. Is there something wrong?”</p><p>He shook his head. “No, nothing. I… I knew your grandfather. By reputation, I should say. He was a good man.”</p><p>Surprise lit her features, and she started to smile. “Really? What a small world! Yes, he was. He always took very good care of me. Worked himself to the bone,” she added with a sigh.</p><p>“Yes, I heard that, too,” Depthcharge said gently. He cringed, and then said, “I… learned about your grandfather from a comrade of mine back then. My comrade has… also passed away.”</p><p>Jessica frowned softly. “I’m so sorry… Oh, I realized I don’t know your name, sorry. Again,” she added with a roll of her eyes as she realized she was using the same words so often.</p><p>The Reploid chuckled, and just offered his hand, “Depthcharge.”</p><p>“Jessica,” she answered, shaking his hand warmly, though it dwarfed her own.</p><p>Depthcharge tipped his head in thanks, and then went on, “My comrade asked a favor of me, should anything happen to him.”</p><p>Jessica blinked. “What was it?”</p><p>“To look after you. For your grandfather.”</p><p>This time she froze. Her eyes widened more seriously, and she tried to read his optics carefully. “…The money…”</p><p>He could tell he’d just tread onto dangerous ground, and he cringed a bit. “Y-yes… it was the only way he—and I—could think to keep our promise.”</p><p>Jessica looked down, but her breath was harder. Stress was clearly building in her frame.</p><p>Depthcharge raised a hand. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to disturb you, Jessica.”</p><p>“N-no, it’s just… I… have no way to repay you,” Jessica admitted quietly, her fists clenching at her sides.</p><p>Depthcharge carefully reached up, and just touched her shoulder. It let her look up at him, and he leaned down to put them on more direct eye-level. “Jessica, the help I gave was not to put you in debt. In truth, it was to pay one. Your grandfather was the only human to show my comrade and I real respect. He treated us as people, not tools. We saw how hard he was working for you. He never actually asked us to help you. We took it upon ourselves, when we… learned of his passing.”</p><p>Her expression softened, growing more astonished.</p><p>Depthcharge continued, “I intended to leave the issue be, remain anonymous, but when we bumped into each other today, I felt like… I know your grandfather would… worry, seeing you down here at the docks.”</p><p>Jessica suddenly laughed and started crying at the same time. “You really did know him…”</p><p>The Reploid offered a wan smile. “I see how hard of a worker you are, Jessica. He’d be proud. I just wanted to check in, really. Make sure you were here for… of your own will. Not because of some… pressure.”</p><p>She wiped her eyes softly, but smiled happily as well. “I chose it, yeah. All that education, but the people were… just unpleasant. I wanted to do something… down to earth. I came here because of my grandfather. I’m saving up pretty well, too. I think I might go into teaching once I get myself a place, you know?”</p><p>Depthcharge’s smile warmed up, and he eased back to avoid encroaching on her space further. “A splendid plan as ever I’ve heard. Forgive my being nosy, I just felt… compelled to check in, as I said.”</p><p>Jessica’s smile brightened. “I’m glad you did. In a way it was… kinda like my grandfather helping me again, you know?”</p><p>He couldn’t explain how good that made him feel. Depthcharge just kept his smile, and tipped his head. “I’m honored to have helped, Jessica. If you need help some day, just let me know.” He offered a small data card. “You can reach me at any of these contact points.”</p><p>She took the card, but then gave a playful gesture for him to lean down. He blinked, but did so. He was startled by her giving him a little kiss on the ‘cheek.’</p><p>“Thank you for all the help, Depthcharge. And I’m sorry about your friend.”</p><p>He eased out of his start, and smiled again. “I appreciate it, Jessica. You’re entirely welcome. Stay safe.”</p><p>“You, too.”</p><p>He nodded, and then simply moved away with a casual wave.</p><p>After he was out of sight, Jessica looked down at the card with a little smile. “…Thanks, grandpa.”</p><hr/><p>//X, have a moment?//</p><p>//Yes, Depthcharge. Checking status on Bubble Crab?//</p><p>//Actually, no. If you need backup, I’ll help, of course, but… Jessica asked me to stay safe. You were right, X. Thank you. I was blinded by fear and anger. It would have been a mistake.//</p><p>//I’m very glad it went well, Depthcharge. Keep those docks secure, hm?//</p><p>//Heh, yes, sir.//</p><p>“You okay?” Alia asked, looking at X across the holomap table. It showed a coast line and deep water structures.</p><p>X focused up at her from the map, smiling. “Yes, actually, sorry. Excellent work, Alia. I think Bubble Crab is our next target for sure. With that assault on the docks, and all of this tactical data you’ve compiled, I think we’re ready. He gave us an opening, and made himself a problem.”</p><p>Alia leaned on the table. “That’s what worries me, though.”</p><p>X tilted his head. “Another baited trap?”</p><p>“Exactly. I think they’re trying to draw our attention. Or just pull you into a contained environment. There is still another X-Hunter out there, you remember?” she finished with a somewhat dry tone.</p><p>X chuckled, nodding. “I’ll watch my back, Alia. You do have a good point though. Mind shifting gears and doing a fresh analysis of that geothermal plant and the computer facility? They’ve been a little quiet this whole time.”</p><p>Alia hit a command on the table, and the geothermal plant snapped into view. “Already have been, actually.” Her manner had turned very serious.</p><p>X’s brow creased as he absorbed the map himself. “…Flame Stag?”</p><p>She nodded. “…He taught me almost everything I know, X. This… none of it makes sense.”</p><p>He kept his eyes on the map rigidly. “…I know. I’m sorry.”</p><p>Alia looked at his face, her expression creasing. “Do you know why he did this?”</p><p>X’s eyes closed slowly. He couldn’t let the pain show. She was in pain because of Flame Stag, wounded in her heart, and she was too smart to miss the pattern in the fights, in the Mavericks, and in X’s behavior. He knew that. It still hurt more than he could express to have her use that tone toward him.</p><p>Slowly, his eyes opened, and he drew them up into hers. His expression was loose, emotionless. “Yes.”</p><p>The map table creaked under her hands. “But it’s one of those things you can’t tell me?”</p><p>“He’s not the Reploid you remember, Alia. That’s… all I can say.”</p><p>Anger was etching through her features, making her eyebrows shiver. The table was creaking more. Her voice came out as a quieted rasp as she tried to control her anger. “…I’ve shown you every courtesy, X. I’ve let everything go. Your new armor out of nowhere, your weapons. I’ve ignored things that made my instincts scream at me, because I trust you. I know you’re a good Reploid, and that you’re doing your best. Right now, that is the only thing holding me back from…” her jaw clenched. “Are you sure that’s the only answer you’re going to give me on this? After everything I’ve done for you?”</p><p>She watched, too angry for her sympathy to take over this time, as his expression clenched into a vice again. His eyes squeezed shut, his jaw clenched like her own, his teeth bared in a slow, painful grimace.</p><p>It was a storm in his mind. His own instincts screamed that he should just tell her, lay it all out for her, so she could be at peace. She had to understand, had to agree with all the secrecy being so important.</p><p>But it would put her in so much danger. Why would she keep it a secret? Dr. Cain should know, even though he’d take right to the human authorities, and cause a world-wide panic that would likely get every Reploid destroyed or locked up.</p><p>He couldn’t tell her, there was too much at stake. All of the X-Hunters, his X-hunters, were relying on him to keep the plan together. What would happen to them if they were exposed?</p><p>X slowly opened his eyes, and whispered, “It’s the only answer I can give.”</p><p>Alia’s face remained rigid, but she stood up. “You have what you need for Bubble Crab’s base, right?”</p><p>X bowed his head and let his eyes close again. “Yes… Thank you.”</p><p>Alia marched around the table, flowed past him, and left the room.</p><p>X opened his eyes as tears dripped down his cheeks. “…What are you doing, X?” he asked himself quietly.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Deep Trouble</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Spikesaw whipped around, his right forearm open down the center and generating a massive, plasma chain-saw from his armor’s spikes. It split a target mechaniloid in half before it could fire a stun-blast into Turbo’s back.</p><p>In reciprocation, Turbo ripped around Spikesaw at insane speed, and somehow sliced the head off another practice mechaniloid with a sweep of his arm. Only the re-closing plates on his forearm indicated something other than his hand had been involved.</p><p>Before the pair could drop the last two targets, grapple-tendrils shot past them on both sides, and latched onto the faces of the mechaniloids. Tripwire started to reverse the motors of his forearms, and lashed violently. It pulled the mechaniloids forward and wrenched them off the ground, shattering them into pieces on the metal flooring of the training chamber.</p><p>Spikesaw let his forearm seal around his retracting weapon, a faint chuckle sounding from his armored face. “Having fun, Wire?”</p><p>Tripwire gave the larger Reploid a look with his visor as the tendrils finished retracting. “I’d say you enjoy those chainsaws more than certain other weapons you might’ve chosen.”</p><p>Turbo waved them both down. “Quiet already.”</p><p>A new voice boomed across the chamber from a sound system. “Nicely done, recruits. Take a few for a charge, and report back to the assignment desk.”</p><p>The three saluted a darkened observation chamber in the far wall, and then left the chamber. Their route happened to take them back through the main hall of Maverick Hunter headquarters. Spikesaw and Turbo noted that there were a few new faces in the lobby, but nothing caught their attention. It was Tripwire who drifted to a stop, his visor lingering on a most unexpected visitor to the facility.</p><p>Cadis was standing at the front desk, speaking in a pleasant but serious manner with the Maverick Hunter running the desk that day. Tripwire became completely astonished when he saw the recognizable datapad of a recruitment form. She was signing up to be a hunter.</p><p>“…I’ll catch up,” he said distantly.</p><p>Spikesaw and Turbo halted, finding him with their optics.</p><p>“Tripwire, what’s up?” Turbo asked quietly.</p><p>“Just something I want to check on personally. Nothing serious. Go on,” Tripwire waved them off without looking, moving toward the front desk.</p><p>Spikesaw rubbed one of his gauntlets. “He have a thing for that recruit at the desk?”</p><p>Turbo shrugged, and they continued on, remaining quite confused.</p><p>Cadis was just turning from the desk, and stopped short, startled by the Reploid waiting behind her. “O-oh, hello.”</p><p>Tripwire tipped his head. “Sorry to bother you, ma’am.” He gestured at her hand, where the datapad was. “Signing up?”</p><p>Cadis lifted the pad, then smiled anxiously and rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, actually. Another newbie!”</p><p>“Can I ask what inspired the choice? No offense intended, you just don’t strike me as the type interested in that kind of lifestyle.”</p><p>She blinked, confused a stranger would care so much about the issue, one way or the other. “Well… I mean, I met a Maverick Hunter recently, and he was quite inspirational. I also don’t really have a home or place to work that I’m familiar with, and I think I can help out, you know?”</p><p>His visor tightened, and Cadis became concerned at the pain she could see in his unique face.</p><p>“Are you okay?” she asked softly.</p><p>Tripwire made a throat-clearing sound, and then offered his hand. “I am, sorry. Welcome aboard. I’m Tripwire. I’m new as well.”</p><p>Cadis shook his hand firmly, smiling. “Cadis! Nice to meet you. Not sure we’ll have any training together, but if we do, it’ll be nice to have someone to talk to, right?”</p><p>He chuckled. “Indeed. Stay safe, Cadis.”</p><p>“You, too, Trip.”</p><p>Her choice of nickname made his chuckle return, and the two parted casually. It wasn’t until he was walking away that he let his expression fall again. <em>And she has no idea I’m the one that cost her that home… all her friends…</em> His fists clenched. <em>No more, you damn virus. No more.</em></p><hr/><p>The blue teleportation field ripped down and splashed out over black, sharp rocks amidst splashing waves. X stepped out of the fading energy, his armor glistening in the failing light. //Maverick Hunter base, you reading me?//</p><p>//Dex here, X. Shimmer’s running data scans for you. With your own sensors patching us data, this confirms the cavern system below you was the source of that armada that attacked the city. It must be a full-scale fabrication facility for those submarines.//</p><p>Focusing down, through the rocks ahead of him, X’s new sensors revved to full power. It was a tremendous chamber just a short way down, and there was a downward dry-dock area just ahead of him. An entry point. There were mechaniloid squids for most of the defense, mingled with some turrets designed to aquatic environments, and propulsion poles. The poles likely would have formed protective tunnels or paths, but were scattered around as a security precaution.</p><p>And at the far side of the deep cave was a walled facility. It was harder to read, indicating dense materials, armor plating. An actual base.</p><p>//I think I have Bubble Crab’s most likely location here. I’ll start--?//</p><p>//Hold, X,// Dex interrupted as politely as he could. //…Yes, Shimmer just confirmed it. We have an X-Hunter in the area. He… just teleported down about half a mile from your current position, deeper down.//</p><p>X rubbed his forearm, frowning. “Waiting for me, alright.” //Roger that, Dex. Mission still a go. I’m mobilizing.//</p><p>//Understood, sir. Dex out.//</p><p>Letting his new sensors deactivate to avoid giving his processors a meltdown, X burst forward. There was a pool of fish mechaniloids, driven by turbine-spikes, and they tried to charge up at him as he leapt over their position.</p><p>“They’ll probably be a problem later,” he muttered to himself, hand-flipping over a ridge of stone, and reaching the dry-dock.</p><p>With no hesitation, X dove into the water, and let his heavy body fall slowly and surely toward the metal surface deeper down. His eyes, already adapted to water vision, widened a bit when the surface pitched, and slammed open with a rush of force through the water. Riding the quick wave of pressure in the water, he started to sink further, and his optics locked up on the reason for the abrupt entrance.</p><p>One of the submarines was right there, floating into the dry-dock from a tunnel in the rock under where he’d first teleported down.</p><p>This one seemed modified, however. The plasma lens was on the under side, and it had thicker plating, with more, but smaller ports for presumed weapons.</p><p>The floor beneath them opened up in a far more vast stretch, dumping them into the depths. X was starting to adapt to swimming as the submarine’s large optics focused, and the plasma lens began to glow. At the same time, dozens of small torpedoes started to pop out of its flanks and jet around to home in on their target.</p><p>X’s expression fell dismal. <em>Does this have intelligence?</em> His sensors reactivated, scanning the submarine’s systems. In a quick rush of data readings, hacked terminal data, and sonic pulses, it was clear the thing was a mechaniloid through and through. A sophisticate weapon system, but little more than a friend-or-foe program with weapons attached.</p><p>Water flash-boiled around X as his body began to shimmer with power, his sensors fading as his weapons fully powered up.</p><p>Before the first few torpedoes could reach him, he snapped his busters forward, and fired with both.</p><p>The resulting storm of plasma erased a tube through the water and submarine alike from the barrels of his weapons. The torpedoes blew up prematurely from the shock through the depths, the closest ones barely brushing heat and bubbles over X’s frame.</p><p>And then the tube of open air crashed back together, ramming X straight back like a jet-engine.</p><p>X grunted, grimacing as he privately cursed at himself for forgetting about the shockwave such a massive blast would trigger.</p><p>His back found one of the jellyfish mechaniloids, and he was literally jolted out of his streaming momentum. Swirling around after the jolt to his system, X fired pulse-blasts at the jelly, still crackling with power as it reached for him again. It blew apart with a few pulses of air and sparks that quickly extinguished in the depths.</p><p>X drifted down, landing on a chunk of rock much further down, his system adapting to the higher pressure. He looked up with a mild frown at the start of the embedded facility. His little rocket-propelled swim had done most of the work for him.</p><p>However, something caught his eye straight above. Focusing, reactivating his sensors, X realized there was another dock system higher up, and signal from the X-Hunter was adjacent to it.</p><p>X braced down, readied his ignition system, and then ripped upward, his boots thrusting at full power. The ease of the water helping his weight and the raw power of the Light-designed system had X rocketing out of the water and onto the catwalk at the surface of the dry-dock just a core-pulse later.</p><p>Standing fully, X eyed the door ahead of him. It was already opening expectantly. “How polite,” he muttered, and marched into the darkened hall beyond.</p><hr/><p>Dr. Cain blinked as a soft beep emanated from the consoles behind him. He frowned, turning away from the large, transparent capsules holding Zero’s body parts and the floating chip and system buffer X had retrieved some months ago.</p><p>A metal wall sank down and closed in, hiding the capsules from sight as he came around the consoles and touched a glowing red button. “Dr. Cain here.”</p><p>“Dr. Cain, it’s Lt. Alia. I need to speak with you, sir.”</p><p>A hand clenched the handle of the cane. Her tone was firm, hard. She was determined. “…Come in.”</p><p>He turned about, looking across a massive console and screen along one wall, toward a doorway at the opposite side. It started to slide open, and Alia walked through. The room almost seemed to shake despite the calm metallic clicks and hisses of her legs.</p><p>Dr. Cain rested both hands on his cane, leaning on it a bit more heavily. “What’s on your mind, young Alia?”</p><p>She chose to formally salute. “Sir, I am requesting permission to deploy to the geothermal plant facility on the island.”</p><p>The human’s frown furrowed deeper. “Didn’t you draft the assault plans for X yourself?”</p><p>“X doesn’t know Flame Stag like I do, sir. I’ve kept up with all license and training regimens. I am fully qualified, and I understand how the target prepares defenses.”</p><p>Dr. Cain tilted his head. “You’re dodging the issue, Lieutenant.”</p><p>Alia’s manner hardened. “Dr. Cain, I have to do this. Flame Stag was one of the best, and he was completely sincere in his beliefs. He would never agree to any of this insanity!” She surged forward a step, fists clenched, eyes blazing. “Please, sir!”</p><p>Dr. Cain sighed, bowing his head with closed eyes. “Alia, I respect your devotion to your old teacher, and I agree that the Maverick issue is deeply painful and confusing, but I don’t believe sending you out after Flame Stag is a good idea.”</p><p>Alia shivered, her fists clicking faintly from grinding servos. The human slowly looked up at her, serious, but sympathetic.</p><p>At length, the Reploid’s manner sharpened, her eyes tightening, and she focused faintly on the wall behind him. Dr. Cain’s brow creased. Alia began to stand up straight again, exhaled, and fixed him with a direct stare that he had to admit was rather unsettling.</p><p>“I can bring Flame Stag in alive, Dr. Cain. Imagine the breakthroughs possible for this entire war if we capture a Maverick?”</p><p>Dr. Cain exhaled, almost rasping, and shifted his cane out to one side, straightening his shoulders as he met her gaze again. “Alia, we have no shortage of materials to study regarding the Maverick issue. I think you’re letting your emotional connection to Flame Stag cloud your judgment.”</p><p>“I know the target better than anyone currently deployed. His closest allies were already lost in the last major conflict with Sigma’s forces,” Alia retorted, not backing down.</p><p><em>A right mess… If I block her, she’ll just storm off anyway, and die from lack of support. X is already deployed. A multi-lateral mission…</em> Dr. Cain rubbed his head. “Permission granted, Lieutenant. I’m temporarily reactivating your Hunter status due to logistical expertise. Deploy immediately.”</p><p>Alia’s expression broke with a smile, and she saluted. “Thank you, sir!”</p><p>“I wouldn’t, Alia. I’m sending you to take on your mentor. See if you’re still grateful when you return,” Dr. Cain chose to reply grimly.</p><p>Alia’s smile faded, but she nodded, and then twisted to dash out of the lab.</p><p>After the door shut, Dr. Cain sighed again. “X won’t forgive me for this one.”</p><hr/><p>X stepped out into a well-lit metal chamber. His sensors were revving already, so his optics were already locked with Violen’s across the gap. It was an almost perfect cube of a room, and Violen’s mighty frame eclipsed a good portion of the opposite wall. There was also clearly a massive spike-mace on his back, behind his rounded, armored head.</p><p>Embedded in the wall on either side of him were tow capsules, one for each leg of the reconstructed body of Zero. X’s sensors showed thruster mechanisms, hydraulics, and pressure switches, all ready to ram the cylinders down into the depths below, and likely to crush depth. It was also clear how heavily armored Violen’s body was, rather like the thick bulkheads all around them.</p><p>“I’ve been looking forward to this, Megaman X,” Violen began. The mace on his back lifted higher with a deep clank and hiss of powerful hydraulics. His arms were not connected to it, it was moving on its own. “The reunification will not be threatened any longer!”</p><p>X clenched his hands into fists, but didn’t form his busters yet. “Your plan doesn’t make much sense. And if you could reconstruct Zero’s body, which no one else could pull off, why couldn’t you just remake the chip and buffer?”</p><p>Violen answered by stomping forward and sweeping his entire body down. The mace shot out, flying free on an extending hydraulic chain of armored links. He was sneering as he watched the weapon rip forward.</p><p>X dove to one side, the room shaking from the impact. The mace ricocheted after him, forcing X to twist flat to the ground. It almost immediately hit the far left wall, and bounced back lightning fast. X had to shove himself back and skid to a halt.</p><p>Violen let the mace retract, chuckling. “It’s not going to matter to you when you’re DEAD!”</p><p>X let energy start to build over his frame, his eyes hardening. “So even you three are in the dark.”</p><p>The sneer on Violen’s face melted away, and he twisted with a crash of his legs, unleashing a room-spanning sweep of his hydraulic mace. X flattened himself under it, and instantly sprang into the air in its wake. Violen’s optics flared when X came bursting toward him from mid-air by the thrusters of the Maverick Hunter’s boots, energy purling off his frame.</p><p>Violen reared back, yanking his mace inward. X aimed his left arm at the X-Hunter, firing a full-power plasma blast. He watched it blast over Violen’s frame, but could tell it wasn’t doing significant damage even that same instant. With the mace rushing at his back, X planted one boot on Violen’s scorched chest, and kicked off, arcing over the mace.</p><p>A spike from the mace still gouged into X’s back, making him grunt. The two fighters skidded back from each other, X hissing from the sparking wound on his back, Violen growling through the smoke coiling off his body.</p><p><em>The mace is too fast for me to keep track of it while focusing him down.</em> X braced, a full charge still ready in his right arm, light dancing over his frame gently from the eagerness of it. <em>Can I run the enhanced sensors and fight at the same time?</em></p><p>Violen roared abruptly, his arms swinging back on either side, hands open, and his mace rattling to build for another rush. The forearms were opening along small ports around the wrist as he did so.</p><p>X grimaced, and started to dash forward. <em>Time to find out!</em></p><p>His sensors fully activated as Violen wrenched his arms in, his wrists firing plasma bolts like gatling guns even as the mace came arcing over, ready to smash down.</p><p>Air pressure, sound, digital signals, energy pulses, diagnostics, hundreds, thousands of types of data all poured into X’s perception as he hurtled into the onslaught. Every angle on each plasma bolt, the wind screaming around each spike on the mace, the arrangement of the room, the way the sounds of their bodies, weapons, systems, and air were reverberating against the walls. It almost crashed X’s system as he tried to keep his weapons fully active, ready, and his targeting systems aiming.</p><p>Violen’s optics widened. X’s eyes were locked with his own, but the Maverick Hunter’s body whirled into a mad dance without losing the gaze. He shifted side to side, dove between, twisted through the plasma bolts in a core-pulse, like he was dodging through a static maze. Without losing momentum or even seeming to notice, X pivoted to his right, shifted his weight forward, letting the mace scream down behind him without contact, and flowed into a leaning stance, buster aimed straight at Violen’s face. The weapon lighting the Maverick’s expression with the glow of burning plasma, X’s free hand gripped the hydraulic chain down between them.</p><p>It had all happened in a moment, barely a second. X’s eyes were still wide, but focused; emotionless, but encompassing. Violen just stood there, his respirator heaving, forced to fold down to X’s height by the weight of the mace and his own crossed arms.</p><p>X’s voice came out calm and steady, almost cold, distant as a dreamer. “You won’t hit me again. Choose how this is going to end.”</p><p>Violen snarled, but stayed down. “See you next round, Megaman X.” He started to glow with teleportation light.</p><p>X released the mace chain, but kept the buster trained on Violen’s face. When the X-Hunter shimmered out of existence, warping up into the ceiling as a globule of crimson light, X aimed his buster at the wall beneath the two containers, and fired.</p><p>The mechanisms designed to launch the containers were flash melted or erased, and the two cylinders started to limply fall out. X shot forward, catching them in an arm each, and eased them down carefully. Moving quickly, he attached small, blinking devices to their sides, and touched his comm, “Dex, Shimmer, can either of you read me?”</p><p>“Surprisingly, yes,” Shimmer answered this time. “How are you cutting through that much metal and rock so clearly?”</p><p>“You can thank Dr. Light for that, I imagine. Can you read the teleportation transponders I just placed?”</p><p>“Checking… Yes, got them. Teleport immediately?”</p><p>“Please. Straight to Dr. Cain. I have to secure Bubble Crab himself still.”</p><p>“Understood. Shimmer out.”</p><p>X stood back, and watched the two cylinders shimmer with white light, then pour up into the ceiling above, very much as Violen had.</p><p>Only then letting his sensors rev down, X held his head for a moment. “Doable, but that gives me one awful headache.”</p><p>Shaking his head free of the mild fog the recovery caused, he sprinted for the sealed door, igniting his flame thrower as he closed in on it. There was a mission to finish.</p><hr/><p>The deep-sea base itself was simple in design, X found. Dull, metal halls with mechaniloid workers and security forces. The map structure his previous sensor-runs had pulled together for him offered a pretty obvious location for Bubble Crab’s control chamber, higher up, and deeper into the rocks of the island.</p><p>Specifically dodging around the maintenance mechaniloids that tried to attack him on orders, X only fired on a couple of gun emplacements, blowing them apart as he shot past, kick-climbing up a ventilation shaft, and punching through a vent at the level he needed to access Crab’s control center.</p><p>A final maintenance bot tried to get in his way, and X gave the poor thing a dismal glance as he came dashing up. It leapt at him, drill-nose whirring, and he simply flipped over it, landing into another dash, and vanishing through the sphere-lock door beyond it. The little mechaniloid was left blinking its optics, the target nowhere to be found.</p><p>It didn’t surprise X that the room let him in. He did, however, have to catch himself and correct as he fell out of the far door, landing in shallow water at the bottom of a cube-like chamber. When his feet touched bottom, his head was just under the surface he’d fallen into. His optics adjusted to the relatively dark chamber and waters, seeing consoles and screen, all designed for submerged use, littered around the perimeter of the room.</p><p>There wasn’t much time to wonder at the room’s emptiness. A slide-gate opened in the roof on the opposite side of the chamber, and a dark mass shot down, slipping into the water with astonishing finesse for its oddly bulbous shape.</p><p>X watched light pulse through the chamber, rippling through the gently lashing waves over their heads, from the plasma claws that seared up from Bubble Crab’s shoulders. The Maverick was crouched down, a hand to the ground. Though his body was almost comical, barely more than a rounded disc with arms and legs, the dark optics and burning power of the claw-weapons were not laughing matters. He was also clearly comfortable under the water, his body seeming to glide through the fluid almost easier than air as he simply stood up.</p><p>The voice that came from the vented faceplate beneath the hard optics was a deep, rumbling torrent of malice, “You’ve made rather a mess of my armada, Megaman X. I intend to extract compensation from your plating.” The plasma claws surged again.</p><p>X’s colors shifted, his busters shifting into plasma-saw generators. “You attacked a civilian harbor with military force. Stand down.”</p><p>Bubble Crab snapped his arms up, and the water around him hardened into a plasma shell. “You’ve come down to my domain, Maverick Hunter. You may yet regret that!”</p><p>The Maverick shot forward, ripping through the water like a cannonball. X burst to his right, but barely got out of the way in time. Small, crab mechaniloids scuttled in through ports in the walls, and started to rush toward him at the same time.</p><p>X wrenched back, firing plasma-wheels with both arms. The mechaniloids burst apart, but Bubble Crab flitted around, floating up in X’s wake. The two locked gazed over X’s shoulder, Bubble Crab’s fist already rushing down at him.</p><p>X dove-twisted in the water, dodging the strike. While upside-down and floating, he fired a fresh saw at the Maverick. Bubble Crab glided away from it, but the saw ripped through his water-bubble. His optics snapped to the start of the tear, watching the shield evaporate around him.</p><p>“Charging the water into hard structures around you,” X explained as he righted himself. “Clever. Adaptive. Smarter than the fighting style you’re using. You’re not used to this level of aggression, Bubble Crab.”</p><p>The Maverick’s hazed optics smoldered at him, and then Bubble Crab rammed his hands upward. Water surged into the chamber, lifting the surface nearly to the roof, while simultaneously throwing X around from the surging torrents.</p><p>X clawed at the ground, and finally regained control, but immediately had to dash back in the water as Bubble Crab came ripping forward, energy-claw leading.</p><p>“Bubble Crab,” X called more sincerely, “Overdrive Ostrich fought it. He came back even at the finish. I know you’re still in there! Make yourself stand down! I know what’s happening to you, and I’ll make sure no harm comes to you!”</p><p>Bubble Crab glided to the far wall with his charge, hit it, and rebounded twice as fast, both shoulder-claws searing the water. His optics never eased.</p><p>X sighed, bubbles filtering up, and he dashed to his left, just around the cutting edges of the claws. He then swirled around, firing off plasma saws in various directions. Bubble Crab started to rush and dance around them in the water, and X drew to a halt, power building over his frame, making the water bubble and steam within itself.</p><p>Bubble Crab shot in, crouching at X’s feet in an instant, shoulders flashing with the preparation to ignite their claws again. “Got you!”</p><p>X looked down at him as his right buster aimed straight up. “Do you?” His left buster aimed at Crab’s face.</p><p>Crab flickered, ripping out behind X, laughing at his bait succeeding. “You can’t correct fast enough!” he roared, charging in at X’s back with a claw ready.</p><p>X fired up, and the plasma saw was fully charged by his system. It hit the water in full form… then exploded into ripping torrents of disruptive plasma. Instantly, a matrix of evaporated water was cut through the liquid around both combatants, Bubble Crab’s body cleaved through in two directions, his optics already widening.</p><p>Water crashed back into the tubes cut through it, making the chamber roar and shake from force, Bubble Crab’s body flung apart, X jerking this way and that as he rode the disruption calmly.</p><p>The chamber started to drain as Bubble Crab’s optics faded, his limbs separated from his core structure by the two cleaving plasma lines.</p><p>Wading through knee-deep water, X drew up to the Maverick’s body, and reached down. After a moment, he had the control chip and system buffer, and placed them in his storage chamber. “…Sorry, Bubble Crab. We’ll talk soon.”</p><p>He was just reaching to his comm when it beeped for him. X jerked, startled, and then activated. “X here, report?”</p><p>Signas’ voice came over the comm this time. “X, Alia just deployed.”</p><p>So many things crashed together in X’s head in that one instant, he came to a full stop mentally.</p><p>“X?”</p><p>X’s face animated, panic and focus swirling together as his fists clenched. “Meet me at the teleportation grid, I have… data from Bubble Crab’s base that needs to be secured, and I need immediate clearance to teleport down to the geothermal plant afterward.”</p><p>“Dr. Cain’s blocking it.”</p><p>X froze again, his eyes burning down into the water at his feet. “…Meet me at the grid.”</p><p>Signas eyed the comm console on the carrier over the island. He’d never heard such a dark, rasped tone come out of the young robot. “…Understood, bringing you in.”</p><p>X’s body washed over with blue light, and tore up into the air.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Through the Fire and Flame</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Crimson light shot down through the earthy cliffs. It splashed down, and poured out from Alia, crouched to one knee. Her blue eyes locked forward, bright and focused, as her hands pulled twin plasma pistols out of her storage unit in her back. “I’m coming Flame,” she whispered, and then sprinted forward.</p><p>Heat plumed out of the tops of the cliffs from the geothermal processing much deeper below, and as she looked up, she saw beetle-like mechaniloids flying down, rotary blades already twirling on their elongated snouts.</p><p><em>Cleaners</em>, she realized. <em>Likely weaponized by Flame at this point.</em> She leapt across a gap, and put one pistol away as she gripped the side of the cliff face. There were several points of the wall highlighted on her internal map, overlaid on her vision. These surfaces of the wall were all but fake, designed for easier blow out from inside for surprise defense positions.</p><p>With a few deft grip and swing maneuvers, then a backward flip by her hand, Alia put her back to one of these weak-spots, and watched one of the beetle-cleaners hover down and lock onto her position.</p><p>Some hot wind brushed her hair to one side as she watched the beetle come charging forward without a flinch of her stony expression. Just as the blade was reaching for her, she side-flipped, letting it hit the wall, and as it plowed through the rubble, she jumped back over the same location, dropping neatly down in the beetle’s wake as it crashed through the armored hallway, blowing itself into pieces.</p><p>Alia skidded through the cloud of a debris on her knees, her pistols out and firing pin-point shots into the tri-barrel wall-crawler mechaniloids that were just starting to take target lock. She rose up at the end of the hall, and twist-flipped down the stairwell it reached, her pistols whipping out and firing thrice more. Three further tri-barrels were torn through on the various walls around the stairwell, falling apart as she landed neatly at the bottom.</p><p>Ducking through a bulkhead door, Alia eased to a stop. Heat was drastically more intense in the next chamber, and she saw the painful orange light of lava glowing from below beyond a catwalk system just ahead of her.</p><p><em>He’d defend this better…</em> Alia’s optics panned around quietly, and then focused on small boxes at the bases of the walls near the end of the small hall she was in, leading to the catwalk. <em>There we go. Rigged to what, though?</em></p><p>Quietly rushing to one of them, she crouched at it, and started to open the wall just beside it with some tools quickly retrieved from her back. She sifted through wires and panels for a moment, and then her brow creased. <em>Rigged to the emergency release system? Flood the entire processing facility with lava? That’s… not his style.</em></p><p>“<em>He’s not the Reploid you remember, Alia.”</em></p><p>That comment haunted her thoughts for a moment. Then she firmed, her jaw clenching. “I owe him too much to stop here.” She adjusted her tools slightly. “I can’t deactivate you without triggering the system anyway, but I can map the rest of your buddies.” She downloaded some data from the internal network, and her overlay map gained a net of small lines following walls, pausing at similar little boxes all the way up through the facility.</p><p>With a little nod, she simply hopped over the air between the two boxes, and ran along the catwalk. There were small ladders and catwalks leading up, but she saw that most of them went through the rock, and had small pairs of boxes waiting where it would be impossible to avoid them.</p><p>Alia exhaled, putting her pistols away. “The hard way then.”</p><p>She leapt free, and started to climbs the hot rocks within the chamber herself. If the wall jutted out too harshly, she leapt with a spin to the far side, and climbed further. There was focus and power in her gestures, her fingers catching grip in astonishingly hard to see holds.</p><p>After one of her cross-leaps, she found herself at the opening of a little alcove, shaded from the heat.</p><p>“<em>When you’re laying traps for the enemy, it can be very helpful to leave an apparent ‘safe zone.’ Somewhere you forgot to trap, perhaps, or simply something not worth trapping, they might think. These are the best opportunities to capture your foe,”</em> Flame Stag had taught them, pacing calmly before the view screen in class.</p><p>Alia smirked, and then leapt clear over the opening, continuing her climb. This time, as she moved higher, she saw gas-vents pushing volatile mist out into the central space. Her respirator didn’t care about actual oxygen, so that wasn’t a concern, but the gas would ignite all too easily.</p><p>Climbing and leaping past a few of them, she froze and looked up as she heard a strange, guttural blast from above.</p><p>A mechaniloid rather like a flying squirrel was hovering down, from side to side, and perching right above the vents. Its tail had a pilot-light, and it flipped it across the opening, turning the gas vent into a flamethrower.</p><p>Alia’s brow creased. <em>That’s a suicidal mechanism. Even with safeties keeping it contained, you’re gambling the entire facility every time one of those drones does that. This isn’t…</em> She silenced her memory before it could repeat X to her again.</p><p>One pistol snapped up, and dead-shot the mechaniloid, letting it drop down in pieces, pinging off parts of the walls far below.</p><p>Her climb continued. She blasted more mechaniloids apart at the vents, and had to flip-twist around one burning vent before she finally reached the top of that processing facility.</p><p>She knew, however, that was only half the job. She quickly rushed along the rocks at the top of that part of the facility, now inside the dead-zone of signal blockers that prevented teleporting straight down into it.</p><p>What waited beyond was a forest of stone pillars sticking up out of a pool of lava under a large awning of rock that was part of the facility’s command center.</p><p>Alia crouched, and pulled a small device out. It resembled a radar dish, palm-sized, and she aimed it across the stone pillars. “Alright, my data was right. They’re narrow, but they’re solid at the base beneath the lava for now. My weight won’t break them.”</p><p>She put the device away along with both pistols. She needed her hands free.</p><p>With a sprint and leap, she sailed across to the first pillar, and swung around its side by her hands, flying off to the next like a sling-shot. She rolled up onto the top of that one, planted her boots on the far side, and shoved off to the next.</p><p>Flips, spins, gripping swings propelled her across the pool of lava. Hover platforms slowly meandered around above her, but she knew Flame’s style enough to be sure they would be linked to his security system. They were too dangerous to bother using.</p><p>With a last side-flip twist, she landed on spread legs at the far side of the lava pool, looking up at the command structure of the facility. Flame Stag would be inside. She took a breath, pulled her pistols, and ran forward.</p><hr/><p>X was running out of the teleportation field that brought him back to Maverick Hunter headquarters. Signas moved to him, hand out, and X handed him a small container.</p><p>“Get him situated,” X whispered sharply, and kept running through the door beyond.</p><p>Signas put the container away, and hurried out the same door, but took the opposite path.</p><p>Just a few moments later, Dr. Cain turned sharply as his lab door opening, X rushing up to him. “Why did you let her deploy?”</p><p>“There wasn’t much ‘letting,’ X,” Dr. Cain replied firmly. “She’s rather like you when she gets her mind set on something. Sending someone in after her now would just compromise her mission.”</p><p>X lunged forward, an arm snapping out to the side. “She doesn’t understand what she’s charging into, Dr. Cain! It’s a trap! Let me deploy so I can back her up!”</p><p>“You think little of her talents,” Dr. Cain chose to retort, eyes narrowing.</p><p>X’s eyes flashed wide for a core-pulse, and then his face twisted into a dark glare. “I know <em>damn well</em> that she’s one of our best! She believes she can do something that simply isn’t going to work! She’s going to get herself killed because she believes it so much, and can’t let herself believe otherwise, or she wouldn’t be who she is! Let me go save my friend’s life before <em>both of us</em> have more blood on our hands!”</p><p>“Then why didn’t YOU warn her!” Dr. Cain roared back, his frame shaking, his hand clenching his cane.</p><p>“I TRIED TO! In all the ways I could I…” his voice died off, X shaking as his eyes dropped down to the floor. Every time she’d trusted him, every time she’d given a supporting smile, or look of concern, it all twisted into his mind like knives in a vice. Anyone else would have grown deeply suspicious of him, assumed he was hiding dark secrets, or going Maverick, but she never had.</p><p>“<em>Be honest with her, but just talk to her.”</em></p><p>His own words, to Depthcharge, now stabbed into his core mercilessly.</p><p>If she knew the whole truth, if he’d just told her what was going on, regardless of the dangers of it, if he’d just… trusted her enough, she wouldn’t be in danger right now.</p><p>Dr. Cain gripped his staff with both hands, head bowing. “…Go. I couldn’t stop her either way, but I knew it was too dangerous.”</p><p>X looked up, the two locking gazes for a moment. No words were given to the mutual apology, but they both saw it. “…Thank you.”</p><p>X twisted, and jet-dashed out of the lab.</p><hr/><p>Alia crouched at the side of a sphere-lock door. A small panel was already loose, and her fingers were deftly sifting through wires and circuits, her expression set with focus. Her comm beeping made her freeze, her eyes widening for a core-pulse.</p><p>//Alia! This is X! I’m on-site now! Please, do not engage Flame Stag! Alia, do you read me?//</p><p>Her jaw clenched, and she kept working. “Sorry, X,” she whispered.</p><p>//Alia, please! I know how important this is to you! I know it looks like I’m blocking you from something you have to do! I need you to trust me! Flame Stag is NOT the Reploid you know right now! You’re charging into a trap!//</p><p>With a shove of one hand, the sphere-lock started whirring open. “I have to try.”</p><p>She slipped inside. The door hissing and slamming shut again made her freeze, guns already in her hands. <em>I overrode the control codes!</em> She stared at the door over her shoulder. <em>A completely redundant command system? The power requirements… of course, it’s a power plant!</em> Alia cursed herself, pressing a butt of one gun to her forehead instead of face-palming directly.</p><p>Sighing, she focused forward. “Too late to back out.” She sprinted forward.</p><hr/><p>Flame Stag stood at a console that dwarfed him, a massive screen showing readouts and maps of both the island and his facility. His orange, white, and brown frame was tall and broad-shouldered, his faintly snouted face locked in a stern, focused expression as he worked. The room itself resembled a large magma tube, with metal grating and catwalks for the floors, pipes embedded in the walls, and the backlit of magma from deeper below across every shape and shadow.</p><p>His optics focused forward as he felt the shadow slip down from the entrance embedded surprisingly high up in the wall behind, to his left.</p><p>“Hm,” he began. “I was expecting <em>Megaman X</em>!” he snapped around with a left back-hand gesture, but his arm rammed to a halt and unleashed a gout of fire across the chamber, blasting across the flooring beneath the entrance.</p><p>There was nothing there, and his optics tightened.</p><p>Alia shot in from his right, kicking his stretched arm down, colliding her right elbow with his own as he tried to counter, and used her remaining knee to ram him forward.</p><p>“I’ll have to do,” she retorted as she landed, tensed.</p><p>Flame shook his head faintly, and stood up, turning around to face her. “Better, Alia. I was worried you’d lost a few steps when I caught you in the entry-hall so easily.”</p><p>Alia drew her hands behind her back, her eyes locked on his through her bangs. “I might’ve, but I’m more thrown by your tactics. Traps rigged to safety protocols? Melting chambers? And your lack of redundant systems down in the main feeding system would have earned you negative marks from yourself back in training.”</p><p>Flame Stag smirked as his fists clenched. Fire burst out of his temples, flaring up into unmistakable effigies of antlers. “The old master/student routine, Alia? Pity. I was hoping this would be an <em>interesting fight!</em>”</p><p>Alia dove left as he ripped forward, a trail of fire in his wake. As she tumbled, she drew her twin pistols, and fired at him before she’d even finished recovering to her feet. Flame Stag snapped his arms up together, and then ripped them down to the side, rushes of flame pulling the plasma bolts down and away from his body harmlessly.</p><p>Seeing Alia still crouched, he surged forward, a fist rushing down at her head. Alia twisted as she rose up, curving just out of his path, heat from his burning wrist washing over her cheek as she gritted her teeth. <em>Too violent, too fast. This isn’t Flame…</em></p><p>Her right knee suddenly snapped up, ramming his arm up and off wildly. It unbalanced him enough, his optics widening, so that she could correct and step-kick into his midsection. The blow shook the room, and Flame Stag hurtled back, denting his own console.</p><p>Alia trained both pistols on him, arms elevated in a quasi-combat stance. “Talk to me, please! None of this is like you, Flame Stag! You believed in the Maverick Hunters, believed in protecting people, non-combatants, the innocent. You never would have bought into this mindless slaughter that started after Sigma. You’re stronger than this!” Her eyes were watering from the intensity of her motions, her frame almost starting to tremble.</p><p>An optic ridge rose as he met her gaze. “You think very highly of your own perceptions, child.”</p><p>She couldn’t hide the pang that spiked through her system.</p><p>Flame Stag flickered, purling tendrils of fire in his wake. Alia didn’t hesitate, however, she folded forward, already ducking his attempted back-hand swipe, and used it to snap herself into a forward flip, kicking him in the jaw as she swung her legs up, over, and down. Her guns aimed out to the sides, her optics locking to her left, tightening, and firing once.</p><p>Sneering, Flame Stag started to rush after her, watching the plasma bolt fly off to the left harmlessly. Alia was landing and twisting to face him again, but he saw the grim mask of her expression as their eyes met again.</p><p>Then the plasma bolt she’d fired ricocheted off one of the processing pipes, and sent itself straight into his flank. Flame Stag grunted, stumbling to the side, fire spilling out of his wrists and stuttering from his temples.</p><p>Alia had both blasters trained on him again, Flame looking up at her, down on one knee. His anger was obvious, but it was clear he was reconsidering her threat level.</p><p>“You’re making rookie mistakes, Flame Stag,” Alia managed through gritted teeth, constraining her growing pain. It was becoming more and more clear that X had been right. All the harsh words to him were starting to dig into her mind, all her hopes for Flame grinding deeper into despair. “Just think for a moment. Cycle your respirator, and think. None of this is you, Flame. None of it. Is there really nothing of you left?”</p><p>Flame Stag bowed his head, hiding his optics from her as he rasped a breath or two. It appeared the blast to his flank had damaged part of his respirator system. “You don’t understand, Alia…”</p><p>Her eyes animated. Pain was in his voice, guilt. Alia eased faintly, moving closer a step. “Then explain it to me? Please? I want to help you, Flame, not kill you.”</p><p>His head tilted up, his optics vibrant with pain. “You can’t help me!”</p><p>Alia came close, starting to lower her guns, her expression gentle, sorrowful. “I can try, Flame. I’ll do my best. I owe you that. Please, just don’t give up!”</p><p>His optics fell sorrowful.</p><hr/><p>“…You’re charging into a trap!” X shouted desperately as he dashed forward, ripping toward the geothermal facility after teleporting down.</p><p>As he leapt over a crag and dove into the same hole Alia had made, he growled in growing frustration. “Damn it, Alia! Not like this!”</p><p>He dove into a lower tunnel, and air-boosted himself further down its length. He landed sprinting, heaving himself through each step with core-pulsing intensity. He didn’t even notice his boots rip through the sensor field Alia had so carefully bypassed down in the processing chamber.</p><p>X looked up the same tall climb Alia had taken, firming as his fists clenched.</p><p>Then he heard hydraulic rushes, and instantly looked back around himself. His optics flared as lava started to pour into the chamber around him, bubbling up violently below as well. “Now I’m the one being stupid!” he cursed himself, and started to boost and leap, kick-climbing ferociously up the rumbling vertical chamber. He was also activating his full sensors at last.</p><p>He got a sonic and geographic map of the area around him, revealing the flying mechaniloids igniting the vents higher up, and an opening in the cliff face opposite a nasty overhang. He saw a mechaniloid gate rigged to the opening, too.</p><p>X rushed up the wall opposite the opening, and did a back-flip twist, intending just to land on the edge near the opening, and continue his climb. The rising lava caused a shift in the wall, however, and a rock shot down at his head. X jerked back on instinct, just passing over the threshold of the secluded chamber Alia had noted as a trap.</p><p>The mechaniloid gate snapped up at full speed, flipping X deeper into the little chamber, sealing him in. His optics flared as he corrected himself, bracing. “Well I’m officially a moron,” he whispered, quickly mapping details of the chamber’s structure, trying to calculate which weapon would get him free of the gate without bringing more of the mountain and facility down on his head.</p><hr/><p>Flame Stag bowed his head again. “You can’t fight it, Alia. It’s too strong.”</p><p>Alia eased closer, standing near him at this point. She smiled a little. “You won’t be alone. We’ll help you, Flame. All of us. Dr. Cain is desperate for a chance to bring a Maverick back without harm. Just trust me, please?”</p><p>A little light triggered on his console off to the side, and Flame Stag smiled faintly from his bowed head. “…Alright, Alia. I’ll… try.”</p><p>She almost sobbed with relief, and used her left hand to touch her comm. “X, it’s okay, he--!?”</p><p>Alia cut herself off with a choked scream of pain as Flame Stag came ripping upward, swiping his burning right arm up, over, and <em>through</em> her right arm, blowing it apart just above the elbow. In that frozen, nightmarish moment, their eyes locked even as her body was twisting from the blow, and saw the dark haze in his optics, his fire starting to burn blue.</p><p>In that same instant, X’s eyes flared, his eyes dilating as he heard her scream rip through his sensors. His fully activated senses could dismantle every aspect of her voice, every element of her scream of pain distributed and codified in agonizing detail.</p><p>Alia’s mind caught up faster than either other Reploid could have imagined, however. Her own squad’s deaths surged back up in her mind, watching their bodies fly apart like her own arm was flying apart in front of her.</p><p>Her shocked, pained scream transformed into a battle-mask and growl of exertion. She came whipping around with her good arm, ducking just under Flame’s attempt to punch through her head with his blue-burning fist, and aimed backward, straight up into his chest with her left pistol, glaring at him over her shoulder.</p><p>Flame Stag had to rip his own head backward, just dodging the plasma bolt the surged from her shot. He flipped onto the wall, and rammed himself back toward her in a full-body dive. Alia drove herself with her legs as she kept twisting, throwing herself out from under him, flying out to his left. She aimed down her body and fired three times.</p><p>The shots were deadly precise. Stag’s shoulder was pitched down, crashed him out of his dive. The second caught his boot, spinning him back toward the console. The third rammed into his chest, throwing him against the console again.</p><p>Alia tumbled into an instant recovery, and sprinted forward, her shattered arm swinging as if there was a limb to carry. “Emotional manipulation! Deception at a peace offering!” she roared at him. “The real Flame Stag would have melted you down for parts!” Her battle roar was louder than her blaster-bolts, her legs charging as she fired a flawless stream of fire right at his chest.</p><p>It was his full-powered flame-burst that saved him, Flame Stag ripping out to the side with flickering speed, trailing blaster bolts, and surging in at her from her right, taking advantage of her missing arm.</p><p>Alia saw him coming, and twist-back-flipped, ripping her boot straight up into his jaw with a deafening clang. She landed on her feet; he slammed flat on his back. Part of the metal pipe, torn open by her stream of fire in his wake, clattered down at his head, and he blinked down at the boot planted on his chest, her pistol trained on his forehead. This time, her eyes were hard and focused. “Stand down.”</p><p>Flame Stag slowly raised his hands open and out, his optics watching hers warily.</p><hr/><p>In the sealed chamber, X’s optics remained dilated and wide in the seconds following Alia’s scream of pain. The air shimmering from heat wasn’t making him pant for cooling. His mind was rushing with too many nightmares. Zero’s death in front of him, the human woman bleeding to death in his arms during Sigma’s first attacks, Gibdan, every Maverick he’d fought, watched ‘die’ only to bring them back as an ally. Alia’s scream warped it all into horrible visions of her body torn open, core-power bleeding out, fluids streaming.</p><p>And he’d lied to her, hidden the truth. He’d driven her to this trap without properly warning her.</p><p>That dream flashed through his memory, looking up at her human face smiling… suddenly warped into a scream as fire and metal tore her apart in front of him.</p><p>X screamed. A feral, blood-curdling roar came out of the small Reploid’s body. Any of his allies would have turned cold at the sound to come from him. His optics suddenly began to glow from their pupils, his body brimming with crimson light.</p><p>It had only been a few seconds, Alia and Flame Stag still in the throws of their battle after her arm was severed, but X couldn’t sense her clearly after the scream.</p><p>His torso armor split open around his central power-gem, revealing thrumming coils of crimson power rippling out from his central systems.</p><p>The raw power started to bleed out of him lifted him off the ground, his hands clawing at his sides, his back arching as his scream aimed at the roof.</p><p>In one instant, the walls around him were erased, simply vanishing out to a radius of shattered metal, stone, and splashing lava. The void then burned, filled with thermobaric plasma that ripped out even more violently from a swirling cocoon around X himself.</p><p>The entire mountain trembled from the blast and shockwave. The core of the facility was gutted in a flash, and even as the lava started to gush and crash into the gap, X was flying up the ventilation shaft, his boots shattering stone with each ferocious leap, wrenching from side to side. A flying mechaniloid tried to land and attack him, but it was practically shattered by his boot pinning it to the wall.</p><p>Magma churned up in X’s wake, racing him to the top of the processing release shaft. X shot out of the mouth at the top, flipping up, over, and slammed to a one-knee crouch for a core-pulse before the magma erupted behind him.</p><p>His eyes never looked back, they seethed forward, and he kicked into a full-powered boost rush toward the standing pillars in the lava pool beyond.</p><p>The pillars were already starting to unbalance and fall from the original explosion, but X crashed into the first one like a thunderbolt, letting it swing him around and throw him to the next as it came crashing down. Shatter, crash, boost, he propelled across the entire field, leaping free and using a floating platform as a stepping-stone mid-air before it could even consider betraying him to the lava below.</p><hr/><p>The shockwave startled Alia. Her gun never moved, but her eyes flared at the quake through the room. Flame Stag grimaced as well, glancing to his console for a core-pulse. “…The entire power relay system?” He was focused on the red-glowing map showing a substantial chunk of the lower part of the base simply erased from the grid view.</p><p>Alia followed his gaze, and saw the map herself. Her inside emptied, her face falling slack. “…X?” she breathed. <em>Wasn’t that where he…?</em></p><p>Pain made her shout and start to twist to her left, her remaining arm swinging wide from some horrendous impact. She was still trying to rebalance when something slammed into her stomach as she spun, and carried her with a groan all the way back to the console.</p><p>As she was slammed flat, her stump trying to stretch out a nonexistent arm to catch herself, she was able to see Flame Stag pinning her down with a chunk of pipe that had fallen down beside him. Fury etched across her face as she met his optics. She was already starting to rise up, her surviving hand pulling the gun to aim at him, starting to fire point-blank.</p><p>Flame Stag twirled the chunk of pipe with a spin of his burning arms, knocking her gun into the air, and then slammed the metal down across her waist and surviving forearm, driving it down into the console, head-butting her as a stall, and then flash-melted the ends into the console on either side of her with his wrists.</p><p>Alia groaned, but instantly recovered, growling at him. She quickly discovered she was held fast, however, and looked down. Her stump could flail around freely, but the arm was locked down tight with her waist. She tried to kick and shove with her legs, but her positioning was awful for any real leverage. Her boots kept sliding.</p><p>“I never should’ve given you a chance,” she rasped at him, still ramming and shoving with all of her might to try and break loose. “I couldn’t believe you’d fall. You had to be better than the rest after all you talked about, but no. I was just an idiot. X tried to warn me, and you just took my arm off for the lesson.”</p><p>Flame Stag smirked at her, blue flame erupting off his temples and wrists once again. “Such a succinct summation, my dear. You always had a gift for cutting to the core of it. I’ll reciprocate!” he shouted, raising his right fist with a clear intention to drive it down into her chest at full speed.</p><p>Alia was snapping a kick at his head when both she and the Maverick froze, their optics snapping up at the inhuman roar snarling from so high above them both.</p><p>“<b>FLAME </b><em>STAG</em><b>!</b>”</p><p>X was diving down from the top of the facility somehow, chunks of rock and metal raining down around him. His optics were wide and furious, his face contorted with the rage mutilating his voice.</p><p>Flame Stag’s optics stayed wide, but he focused back on Alia that moment, and roared, trying to ram his fist down at her again.</p><p>X boosted down, ripping through the air with a shimmer of thrust and armor. Alia jerked her head to her left out of reflex as something was suddenly just over her.</p><p>Flame’s arm was flying out to the side, his chest denting in. X was in the air before him, a leg driving the attacking arm out, the other ramming into the Maverick’s chest. He was landing into the attack, and his thruster system ignited as he grimaced down into Flame’s face. A small shockwave of force pulsed free before Flame Stag flew back, and cracked the far wall, denting an impression of his back into it.</p><p>X landed on the console like a beast, immediately lunging over Alia, who was staring up at him in a mixture of horror and awe. He wrenched the chunk of metal holding her down with a gurgle and grind of his motors. It held once, but he roared and ripped again, tearing it free with chunks of the console around Alia.</p><p>Flame Stag was just dashing forward to counter-attack when he took the entire bar and metal shards to his chest, flying back a second time from X’s violent throw of the debris. The two’s optics locked, Flame’s alarmed, X’s vicious… and watering.</p><p>Alia was able to clutch her wound stump at last, slipping down onto her feet quietly just before X leapt forward, landing ahead of her, braced for a battle.</p><p>Flame Stag tore the metal bar apart with streams of blue fire from his wrenching arms, and then stepped forward, narrowing his optics at X. “I heard you were a wannabe pacifist, Megaman X. You fight like a beast.”</p><p>Alia glanced at X’s back, empathy and concern growing out of her fear and shock.</p><p>X didn’t speak, but his colors shifted to vague purple and gold highlights.</p><p>Flame Stag smirked, and then snapped his arms across each other. Massive waves of fire came burning out from his gestures, starting to broil over and rip forward as a wall of blue, glowing death.</p><p>Alia was instantly looking for a perch to leap to for protection, but her eyes caught motion, and she focused on X.</p><p>He whipped around, lashing one arm across the wave, firing out almost comical bursts of plasma bubbles, the other arm swinging up in a geyser of the same ridiculous weapon system.</p><p>Neither the Maverick nor Alia was laughing at the result, however. The flames blew apart as the bubbles collided with them, unleashing blast-waves of air and force that simply killed the fire instantly, erasing entire swaths of it like it was a gush of mist breaking on wind. Tongues of fire licked at the walls behind the two Hunters, but nothing got close to either of them.</p><p>X and Flame Stag started to charge for each other, one swiping waves of fire, the other slashing bursts of plasma bubbles. The unique collisions rippled like sizzling static. Through a final bursting collision, the two Reploids met.</p><p>X hammered Flame Stag’s right punch down, and drove a punch straight into the Maverick’s face. The two flew into a blurred, air-shuddering storm of punches, dodges, blocks, and rams with their upper bodies.</p><p>With a shout, X ripped upward, twisting so that his legs knocked Flame’s punching arm aside. He kept twisting as he rose up, driving a knee up into Flame Stag’s face with a roar of ferocity. As the knee collided with the Maverick’s face, however, X ignited his thruster system. It twirled X into a vortex of armor and light, and drove Flame Stag flying by his head into the far wall with a shattering series of cracks through the rock and metal.</p><p>X landed with spread legs, one hand down to the ground, his face focused on Flame Stag with grim anger still smoldering.</p><p>Flame Stag actually coughed out some fire, and slowly picked himself up. “I-I… see how… you won the last war… X…”</p><p>“It wasn’t a war, it was a massacre of innocent people. Reploids and human alike,” X rushed out, his body shaking.</p><p>“A massacre that isn’t over yet,” Flame Stag replied with a slow sneer. Alia was cringing, ill from seeing and hearing such a thing from this Reploid’s face.</p><p>X drew himself up, his fists clenching out of his busters. “No, Flame Stag. This is over. I watched Overdrive Ostrich fight it off. Alia believes in you like I’ve never seen, which means you’re one of the best and brightest we’ve ever had.”</p><p>Alia’s face fell softly, watching X.</p><p>He went on, “Now you get over yourself, and you fight it, Flame Stag! You tore her arm off! You let hundreds of innocent people be slaughtered while you STOOD BY! You wouldn’t STAND for this, Flame Stag! You would never have let ANYONE away with it! So don’t you dare look me in the eyes and tell me you agree with this! We BOTH KNOW THAT’S A LIE!”</p><p>Flame Stag’s optics twitched, but the haze never faded. “You can’t fight it, X. You’ll see that for yourself, soon enough. Especially fighting like this.”</p><p>X’s frame shook faintly. <em>All this insanity, and Alia caught in the middle.</em> Without truly turning, his head bowed, glancing toward her. Again, his words to Depthcharge stung his memory. He exhaled, and his buster formed on his left arm. “Flame Stag. Stand down, or I will put you down.”</p><p>Flame Stag sneered faintly.</p><p>Alia frowned, and then called across, “Finish it, X. That thing isn’t Flame Stag. Not anymore. I should’ve taken the shot. Twice.”</p><p>X’s eyes closed. He heard the frigid anger in her voice. He understood how much pain it was masking, how much it was being used to contain a storm of grief, guilt…</p><p>Flame Stag started to rip toward Alia, though he had no chance of reaching her, too damaged to fully accelerate already.</p><p>X’s arm snapped up, and he called across, “See you soon,” as he fired.</p><p>Alia only had a core-pulse to be confused by that phrase before Stag’s head blew apart amidst a flash of plasma, and the body simply crashed forward.</p><p>Despite the roar of churning magma and the rumble of the weakened facility, it felt oddly quiet in the command chamber that moment. Everything was still in the fiery light. Alia slowly exhaled, still clutching her faintly sparking upper-arm. Her eyes closed, and she bowed her head for a moment.</p><p>X finally lowered his buster, his hand reverting, and he walked over to Flame Stag’s body. His movement was mechanical, detached, his eyes distant. It wasn’t until he knelt down, his hands over Flame’s back, that he stopped, clenching his jaw. “…I’m sorry you have to see this.”</p><p>Alia glanced up, concerned and confused. When X started to actually open up parts of Flame Stag’s torso, she cringed, but then her frame slackened faintly. “…Of course. For Dr. Cain.” The core components…</p><p>X shook his head slowly, pulling the chip and buffer out, carefully putting them away in his back. “Actually, no.”</p><p>Alia blinked at him as he turned, rose up, and walked over to join her.</p><p>“I’m sorry for all the lies.” His eyes lingered on her mutilated limb with harrowed guilt.</p><p>Alia shook her head. “This was my fault, X, not yours. You warned me exactly what would happen. I was just an idiot…”</p><p>“No, you weren’t,” X replied firmly, his eyes aimed at the floor between them. His fists clenched, and then he met her eyes. Even in such a painful moment, she was kind, concerned for him, seeing his pain before her own. “I’m not going to hide anything from you, Alia. Not again. I just need some time to settle a few issues. You also need repairs. Can I teleport lock us both?”</p><p>She was stunned silent for a moment, blinking again. “W-why… now?”</p><p>X offered a wan smile. “I realized how much of an idiot <em>I</em> have been. And my failure to show you trust nearly got you killed. My mishandling of this entire mess also got you hurt,” he added with a gesture to her missing arm.</p><p>“How do you figure that?” she had to challenge, almost laughing.</p><p>“Your scream,” X answered quietly, his face falling with empathetic pain. “You were contacting me when you had Flame Stag secured. If I hadn’t been on-site, you wouldn’t have wasted the focus to try. You had him beaten, and my interference cost you your arm.”</p><p>Alia tilted her head, a bit bewildered. “Good grief, X, you really know how to take the blame for something you weren’t even present for. It was my call. I make the rookie mistake and took my eyes off the target, broke focus. Twice,” she added with a self-deprecating eye-roll. Then she shook her head. “Stop blaming yourself for this… Let’s just get out of here, okay? I think you need time to calm down, too. You’re making promises that might get awkward later,” she chose to finish with a faint smirk.</p><p>X chose to join her humor, glad she could manage it in such an insane situation. His hand reached out, just rested on her undamaged shoulder. “Ready?”</p><p>She nodded, and light shimmered over both of them, yanking their shapes up into the air.</p><hr/><p>Alia’s optics drifted open drowsily. Her internal chronometer was off for maintenance, so she had no idea how long she’d been out so far. Her systems still told her she was in need of repair. Lifting her head, she found herself in a resting cot in the repair wing of Maverick Hunter HQ. Her missing arm was a clean little cap of metal at the moment, keeping her internal systems protected as an interim stage before full repair.</p><p>What caught her attention instantly, however, was X sitting at her bedside. He smiled warmly.</p><p>“Feeling better?”</p><p>She offered a wan laugh. “Yes, actually. How long have I been down?”</p><p>“About two days, but don’t worry. Things are quiet. Signas is heading up some missions for us, and we’re gearing up to finish off this current Maverick outbreak. It’s a good time to rest, and you earned it.”</p><p>Alia laughed again, and let her head loll back. “Sweet of you to come check on me.”</p><p>X blushed, glancing down, rubbing the back of his helmet. “Just worried, you know? A-anyway, I just wanted to let you know that when you’re back on your feet… I’m going to explain things.”</p><p>Her eyes locked on his again. Serious, she frowned a little. “X, you made it perfectly clear that there were things you just couldn’t tell me. I… got stupid, because I was too close to this case.”</p><p>X shook his head. “No, Alia. You believed in your friend, and that’s exactly the part of you that I admire so much. I gave you nothing concrete, nothing that would really dissuade a caring person from taking action. …That’s what I need to fix. I’ve been hiding things from you, and I finally realized it was for the wrong reasons.” His eyes fell down. “The situation is delicate, so I had to prepare some things. They should all be ready by the time you’re repaired.”</p><p>“You’re sure?” Alia checked gently. She couldn’t deny how much of a relief it was. Truthfully, for his sake. It had been weighing him down too much, whatever it was. He’d been starting to crack. The berserk rage she’d seen on him during the fight with Flame Stag had proven that to her beyond a shadow of a doubt.</p><p>X nodded. “I am. You’ll see why it’s so delicate… for so many reasons, but… that’s for later.” He slapped his knees, and stood up with a little hiss of hydraulics. “Rest up, okay? That’s an order, lieutenant,” he finished with a smirk.</p><p>She giggled, and saluted with her left hand. “Aye, sir.”</p><p>They shared casual waves, and he jogged out of the room. She was left smiling fondly, and let her eyes close again.</p><hr/><p>Dr. Cain read over a datapad with an intrigued frown, his eyebrows up. “Most impressive, especially for fresh recruits.”</p><p>“Glad to serve, Dr. Cain,” a new Reploid replied. His body was a dark crimson, sleek frame with dark orange fins and blades along his arms and knees. His helmet was smooth and came down over his face, leaving only humanoid lips and nose exposed.</p><p>“An honor, sir,” another added. To the first’s left, he had a fully mechanical face, masked by armor, with green optics, and short but sturdy frame of matte black armor. His forearms were boxy rather than smooth, with hydraulic pistons visible in crisscrossing patterns on either side. He appeared to have crushing clamps that could snap down over his hands.</p><p>The human man smiled, lowering the pad, his other hand resting securely on his cane. “Pyrostrike and Snapvice, right?” he asked, gesturing to the left, then right.</p><p>“Yes, sir,” they chorused.</p><p>“You two will be joining some of other promising new Hunters. I think you might be aware of Spikesaw and Turbo?”</p><p>Pyrostrike nodded, replying, “Yes, sir. We understand they’ve already distinguished themselves on some containing missions on mechaniloid attacks on the island where all the unrest is focused right now.”</p><p>“Quite right,” Dr. Cain said, chuckling. “You really do keep up on things. Excellent. I see no reason not to approve your deployment, the pair of you. Do us proud, alright?”</p><p>They both saluted, Snapvice adding, “We hope to, sir!”</p><p>Dr. Cain dismissed them without issue afterward.</p><p>Once they were a few halls further away, Snapvice looked to his partner with idle humor in his optics. “Shall we head to that meeting then?”</p><p>Pyrostrike chuckled, and activated a private comm. //Signas, Pyrostrike here. Is it time for that… special meeting?//</p><p>//Indeed. Any problems with Dr. Cain?//</p><p>//Thankfully, no. There shouldn’t be any roadblocks at this stage. We’ll be deploying officially with Spikesaw and Turbo.//</p><p>//Very good. …And are you sure you’re alright with the meeting yourself? X discussed it with all of us, but especially with everything so fresh…//</p><p>Pyrostrike’s lips pressed to a line first as he walked along with Snapvice. //I’m sure. Better to lance the boil now than let it fester. Besides, Deepfreeze likely is feeling the weight of it more.//</p><p>//You know enough about him back then. He’s too stoic to back down. …And I think he’s been hoping for this chance.//</p><p>Snapvice shared a faint smile with Pyrostrike. Both of them replied, //Understood.//</p><hr/><p>“Good to see you on your feet, lieutenant,” X called with warm humor.</p><p>Alia turned from Dex with a flashed smile of her own. She and Dex shared a quick, pleasant comment, and the other operator hurried off down the hall. “You, too, X. Though I figured you’d make some comment about my shiny new arm, hm?” she asked playfully posing and flexing her new, pristine limb.</p><p>“Well, you always looked strong to me,” X decided to reply, blushing a little.</p><p>It let her blush softly to, and she laughed. “I added some practical considerations this time. Observe,” she wryly aimed her hand across her front, at the wall. Her hands smoothly vanished into the wrist as ventilation ports opened on the back sides.</p><p>X’s eyebrows were up. “You had them give you a fully active buster-cannon?”</p><p>Alia nodded. “That fight with Flame Stag made me realize how foolish it is to let someone kick away a weapon when you can just build it into your arm. Lost the arm in the fight anyway, so may as well get some benefit out of it, hm?” Her hand returned with a smooth hiss and click.</p><p>X gave a little pout at the morbid humor, but nodded. “I see the logic, yes. You ready?”</p><p>“For this mysterious appointment you’ve scheduled for me? Absolutely. I need to get the tension over with before my systems reboot on me.” As X chuckled, she added, “By the way, have you seen Shimmer around today? He kinda vanished… even for him.”</p><p>X was caught fractionally as they started down the hall together. “Actually, yes. You’ll see.”</p><p>She blinked. “…O-okay… I guess I’ll just roll with it and follow your lead?”</p><p>“For now, if you don’t mind, please. I’ll make sure you get to ask all the questions you want very soon, don’t worry.”</p><p>Alia smirked. “Only because you’re so cute.”</p><p>She was rewarded with a violent blush as he coughed and tried to blow past the little joke.</p><hr/><p>Alia was growing both more confused and concerned as X drove her in a hovercar through the city. It had only been a few minutes since they left headquarters, and X had explained he needed to be cautious about talking yet. Awkward silence had prevailed thus far.</p><p>At last, X lifted a small device out from his back as he drove the simple vehicle. Alia glanced at it, and became grave. It looked like a small, glistening ball of metal, glass, and plastic, with a few LED lights glistening within.</p><p>“A signal envelope?” Alia muttered, looking at him sidelong.</p><p>X nodded, and activated the sphere. A little wave passed out from it, and then X tapped his comm. He seemed satisfied with something, and looked at her. “We can start talking openly now. I had to take special steps. We normally don’t convene the full group like this.”</p><p>“Full group?”</p><p>He tipped his head. “My secret team that I’ve been building up. You’ve met most of them, in fact. Signas, Airstrike, Overload, etc,” he began, casually rolling his hand.</p><p>“This is… much more involved than I’d imagined.” Thinking back, she raised an eyebrow. “They do all seem a little too experienced for new recruits, so at least that will stop haunting my processor.”</p><p>“More than you realize,” X conceded. “The real heart of this whole mess is that I know the truth about what causes a Reploid to go Maverick, and my team has been recruited as they’ve come to learn it, too.”</p><p>Alia stared at him, only vaguely noting that the route they were taking was circuitous, dodging around turns and buildings, clearly trying to evade anyone following by chance. “Y-you know for sure?”</p><p>“Yes,” he began again, fully serious, his expression stony. “It’s a virus. A one-of-a-kind super-virus that is adaptive, intelligent, and hell-bent on two things. Killing humans and infecting me.”</p><p>“Infecting you?”</p><p>“Because I’m its counterpart. Dr. Light made me… Dr. Wily made the virus. We’re the two final creations of the greatest robot-designers of the last century,” X explained with a meaningful look at her.</p><p>Alia sank back in her seat, her eyes almost dazed. “H-how… do you know all this?”</p><p>“The virus, at least so far, takes over the system buffer. I’ve been collecting the processors and buffers of every Maverick I’ve fought. First, to see if my theory was right, then it was to make sure the virus isn’t changing tactics.”</p><p>“You suspected it was an infection from the start?”</p><p>X nodded. “I think it might be a passive gift from Dr. Light though. I can see it in their optics. A haze. No one else seems to notice it, but I’ve had it verified one-hundred percent so far. I keep double-checking to be safe, but I tend to let it guide my initial reactions, and it hasn’t failed yet.”</p><p><em>I did see something in Flame Stag’s eyes…</em> Alia rubbed her forehead. “Those poor Reploids… all of them. Are they… conscious of it? Are they trapped?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>The pain of that truth settled for a moment of silence.</p><p>Alia swallowed as a motor habit with her emotional systems, and prompted, “W-why haven’t you told Dr. Cain?”</p><p>X tipped a finger to her. “That is the exact heart of the issue. The reason for all the secrecy. I’m hiding as much from the virus as him, and for one reason. If we publically declare that the Maverick problem is a super-intelligent virus, one that can’t practically be cured in any way thus far, and it can completely corrupt ANY Reploid… what do you think would result?”</p><p>Alia frowned, glancing out. She didn’t really care anymore as she noticed the surroundings were in the poorer part of the city. “Panic,” was her calm, simple answer.</p><p>“Exactly,” X affirmed. “Dr. Cain already feels like this entire Maverick nightmare is his personal fault, that some flaw in his work has created a systemic bug that is getting people killed. He would never hide this fact from the human authorities around the globe. I’m not sure I could ask him to once he knew. I think he has his own theories, but I can’t interfere with them like that. The virus itself is… magnificent in its construction. It’s truly alive. I’ll be happy to give you the data we’ve gathered so far. The very act of studying it causes it to react and adapt. I’m still trying to even theorize how to counter-act it at the source. For now… we remove it from the host.”</p><p>Alia looked at him again. “How?”</p><p>“By removing the processor and system buffer, you successfully remove the Reploid’s personality and core memories away from the virus itself. At least so far, as I said.”</p><p>Her face went slack. “W-wait, you… you have them all alive somewhere?”</p><p>X started to smile faintly, glancing back at her. “Not just stored away, no. They’re my team.”</p><p>Alia froze mentally, only registering that they were finally coming to a stop because of the momentum change triggering her passive sensors.</p><p>X powered down the vehicle, and looked her in the eyes, not rushing her. He knew how deep that information would hit her.</p><p>“…Flame Stag?” she whispered.</p><p>“Has a new name, like the others, but he’s waiting to meet you. For real this time.” X gestured to the run down door in the back of an apparently abandoned building where they had stopped. The car was in a small alley on the edge of the bad side of the city.</p><p>Alia’s eyes watered, then focused on the door he’d indicated. “A-all of them?”</p><p>“…Except for Vile and Zero, yes.”</p><p>Their eyes locked again, Alia feeling the quiet pain in his voice at that admission.</p><p>“Was Vile not infected?” she asked carefully.</p><p>“I don’t know,” X admitted, his expression sorrowful still.</p><p>Alia’s head tilted back. “…The fight. You told me about it. Zero died trying to stop him…”</p><p>“And I snapped,” X finished quietly. “I killed Vile outright. I crossed the line.”</p><p>Alia reached up, gripping his shoulder. Her head tilted down a little, softly catching his gaze afresh. “I think you’ve done pretty well so far, X. You’ve saved lives no one thought could be saved. Even more so than I already knew, now that you’ve told me this much.”</p><p>It let him offer a little smile of thanks, and she smiled back.</p><p>“Now,” she started gently, looking past him, “if this meeting is so special, and basically for my sake, let’s say we stop making them wait, hm?”</p><p>X chuckled, tipping his head. They both got out of the car. X looked up first, pulling a small device out and activating a control on it. Alia watched as a thin screen rolled out from one side of the alley above them and touched to the other, then distorted softly. From their side, nothing seemed different, but looking down from above, they and their vehicle vanished.</p><p>“A gift from Shimmer. Formerly Sting Chameleon.”</p><p>Alia gawked, then started to chuckle. “That makes so much more sense.”</p><p>X couldn’t help a little grin, and then they finally moved to the door. He opened it for her, and they proceeded into the dank little building.</p><p>He led Alia down into the basement, and through what appeared to be a sewer access. As soon as they were past that, however, they were standing in front of a heavily armored, hydraulic gate.</p><p>“I’d ask that you only use this particular entrance in emergencies. We try to keep the bunker as secret as possible, so the less exposure the better,” X explained as he started to open it.</p><p>“Understood,” Alia muttered, quickly stepping through with him, letting him seal it in their wake.</p><p>They walked down a short, dim hallway, and a normal powered door waited beyond. X led the way through again, and when this door opened, a large chamber was revealed, smaller antechambers around its edges, as well as hints of other entrance paths.</p><p>There was also a small army of Reploids scattered about, some lounging, others talking. Everything became still and quiet as Alia came into view, her optics widening as she saw the full crew. She and Signas shared a specific glance at first, though she adapted quickly. His involvement made much more sense as she thought about his quick rise to power and how he always seemed to have the right bit of information ready to help X.</p><p>Airstrike, Overload, Barrel, Inferno, Deepfreeze, Depthcharge, Quickman, Shimmer, and the new recruits Tripwire, Spikesaw, and Turbo. There were also two new faces she hadn’t met herself yet, but recognized them from the recruitment data she’d checked over from the last week.</p><p>Signas actually came up to her first, X gesturing for the others to start coming closer for a proper introduction. The officer offered his hand. “Welcome to the hideout, Alia.”</p><p>She shook his hand. “Thanks… C-can I ask who you were?”</p><p>He smirked faintly, and answered, “Sigma.”</p><p>Alia froze still again, then her head tilted faintly. “Y-you were just another host?”</p><p>“Yes, though the virus has chosen to make me its chosen avatar, apparently. All the more reason for the change of name in my case,” he finished with a grim laugh.</p><p>She had to share the humor, tipping her head to him. He was one of the legends of the current era, and she’d been working beside him without even realizing it. Signas moved aside casually, however, letting the others come forward.</p><p>“You’re impressive, kid,” Shimmer chose to start next, chuckling. “I think you almost had us figured out on your own.”</p><p>Alia returned a smile. “Sting Chameleon, right?”</p><p>He let his body shimmer out of view in a soft wave, never fully disappearing. “Could I be anyone else?” Letting the humor fade, he added, “Sorry about that fight on the wall, by the way.”</p><p>Alia blinked, and then blushed. “A virus is a virus, St… Shimmer. I’m just glad it worked out in the end, hm?”</p><p>A knowing smile came over Shimmer’s face, and he just answered, “I see why he likes you.”</p><p>Both Alia and X blushed, and were glad he simply stepped aside before more could come of it. Alia moved forward to make it easier to meet the others.</p><p>“Storm Eagle, ma’am,” Airstrike began as they shook hands.</p><p>“That stunt with the cruiser makes more sense now,” Alia had to point out.</p><p>Airstrike tried to give a humble shrug, and let his comrades step in as he shared a little laugh with her.</p><p>“Spark Mandrill,” Overload confirmed.</p><p>“Armor Armadillo,” Barrel.</p><p>“Launch Octopus,” Depthcharge.</p><p>Quickman gave a flourishing bow, removing his cutter like a hat. “Boom Kuwanger, my lady.”</p><p>Alia shook his hand, a bit more serious for him. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m… very sorry for all that happened to you.”</p><p>“And I’m very sorry for what I did to Dex. I’ve been making sure to look out for him since.”</p><p>“I’d noticed,” Alia answered quietly. Her smile returned. “Thank you.”</p><p>He tipped his head, replaced his cutter, moved aside.</p><p>“Flame Mammoth,” Inferno began as they shook hands.</p><p>“You… trained Flame Stag, right?” Alia had to confirm, a bit meek in this Reploid’s presence.</p><p>Inferno smiled faintly. “I taught the kid a thing or two, yes. So did you.”</p><p>Alia blushed a little, rubbing the back of her hair. “I’m not so sure about that.”</p><p>Inferno just chuckled, and moved aside to let her continue.</p><p>Deepfreeze came up next, and he was decidedly serious. Alia did pause gently as she realized who he most likely was.</p><p>“…Chill Penguin?” she asked quietly. She took care not to let her instinctive anger or pain come through. Her squad’s deaths were her fault, and he’d been infected. The Reploid in front of her was not the reason they died.</p><p>Deepfreeze actually went to one knee, nodding slowly. “I’ve been hoping for a chance to admit to your face that I was the one, Alia. I am deeply sorry for your loss.” He looked up at her. “Though I have many things to make amends for, your team remains one of my main reasons for helping as I do now. I owe them.”</p><p>Alia started to shake her head, and actually reached a hand down. “It’s a virus, Deepfreeze. I made bad calls, and my people died for them. You don’t owe them, or me, anything. However, I’m very glad to have your help.”</p><p>He slowly took her hand, and let her pull him up to his feet. She reached up with the other hand to pat his shoulder, affirming what she said with a little nod. It was clear he was overwhelmed, and her eyes were watering, so he just nodded gently, and eased aside as she released his hand.</p><p>The first of the new faces came up. “Wiresponge,” Tripwire began, offering his hand.</p><p>“I’d wondered about those chord-claws,” Alia admitted wryly.</p><p>His optic smirked.</p><p>“Wheel Gator,” Spikesaw introduced himself next.</p><p>“I’m glad you and X aren’t angry after that beating you inflicted on each other,” Alia had to remark, empathetically cringing.</p><p>He laughed. “He gives as good as he gets.”</p><p>“And then some,” Turbo cut in as Spikesaw started to step aside. “Overdrive Ostrich.”</p><p>Alia shook his hand, acutely mindful of the entire desert base battle. “You… broke free?”</p><p>“Not enough. I’m not sure how I was able to manage what I did, either. Our data was inconclusive.”</p><p>The serious tone was cut by Snapvice remarking, “I think he just thinks too fast for the virus to have kept up.”</p><p>It let them all laugh a bit, and Alia offered her hand.</p><p>“Bubble Crab,” he confirmed, giving her a firm shake, and then easing aside for the last Reploid present.</p><p>Alia eased to a stop, looking at the last Reploid, his sleek armor, surprisingly human lower-face. “…Y-you… go by Pyrostrike at the moment, right?”</p><p>He nodded, and eased a little closer. “…Alia, I’m very sorry. I… was terribly cruel to you, above and beyond the atrocities I stood by for.” A little awkward, he gestured to her arm. “I’m glad you got a new one so fast.”</p><p>“…Flame?” Alia finally prompted, tears dripping quietly from her eyes.</p><p>His lips pressed to a line, and he just nodded.</p><p>Alia eased forward, the other Reploids glancing away or aside because the emotional power in that moment. She lifted her arms, and then grappled onto Pyrostrike tightly. His arms managed to come up, holding her in return, his head bowed over her shoulder.</p><p>“I blew it, kid,” he whispered. “You tried your damndest, and I just kept spitting in your face. I’m so sorry.”</p><p>She shook her head, unable to speak yet, holding him tight. After a tense moment, she managed, “You’re okay.”</p><p>He nodded, patting her hair. “You did me proud, Alia. You’re a better tracker and infiltrator than I ever was.”</p><p>Alia started to laugh through her sorrow, the two finally easing apart, her hands lingering on his shoulders. “I thought you didn’t praise your students?”</p><p>“You’re not a student anymore, Alia,” Pyrostrike answered, both sincere and serious.</p><p>The comment struck deep, her expression softening for the amazing admission he’d just offered to her. He considered them equals… if she wasn’t the mentor now. “T-thank you,” was all she could think to say, blushing from how simplistic the response had come out.</p><p>He half-smiled, patted her hands, and then nodded to the group for her. Collecting herself, Alia eased back, looking from X to each of them once more, and finally said, “So you’re all trying to find a cure for the virus without revealing it, basically?”</p><p>X nodded. “That’s about the sum of it, yes.”</p><p>Signas added, “We each agreed with X’s fear that, at the very least, ‘improper’ use of the knowledge about the virus would just cause a panic. Better that our old selves be remembered as monsters than all Reploids tarred with the same brush. And we each feel we have amends to make.”</p><p>Serious nods of agreement were shared by the entire group.</p><p>Alia focused on X. “That’s why you didn’t want to tell me. You didn’t want me to pick between this team and telling Dr. Cain the truth?”</p><p>“That’s not the only reason, but it is true, yes,” X answered cryptically. “There’s more I’d like to tell you, but this was the most vital part,” he explained with a gesture to the team. “My X-Hunters, which just gets confusing with Serges’ crew out there now, are my secret weapon against the virus. It doesn’t know the full extent of our network, and we’re trying to keep it that way. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to speak with you privately about a couple of things?”</p><p>Alia nodded, and then glanced out to the others. “Sorry for causing such a disruption. A big gathering like this must’ve been dangerous to set up.”</p><p>Most of them shook their heads to the trouble. Signas then added, “We’ll deploy back to our stations while you two talk. X, just let us know, alright?”</p><p>Alia blinked, watching X tip his head to Signas meaningfully. Then, X gestured for her to join him in one of the antechambers. The X-Hunters started to file out of the base in various directions, though Pyrostrike did give her a final wave, the two sharing a smile.</p><p>Once it was just the two of them, X gestured for Alia to sit in one of the chairs at the console in the antechamber he’d chosen. He took another himself, facing her.</p><p>Sitting, Alia asked, “What was that little comment from Signas about?”</p><p>“I had to warn the team that you might not agree with us. I didn’t want to sentence them all to fleeing the Maverick Hunters if they disagreed, so I made sure each of them could choose to be seen here today. They all agreed. Signas was just confirming that if you’re going to tell Dr. Cain, they want to know, so it’s not a surprise.”</p><p>It was a little bewildering to actually get a straight answer for once. Alia sank in her chair slightly, swallowing. “No wonder you’ve been so weighted down. That’s… a horrible conversation to have to have.”</p><p>X tipped his head, fully agreeing.</p><p>“…And all of this… just for me?”</p><p>X looked down, nodding, and let his hands play together as a nervous motor habit. “I’ve been realizing more and more that hiding it from you was a mistake. I’ve always trusted you, almost from the moment we met, but I thought telling you this would get you hurt or killed. I was starting to rethink that already, but… the events with Flame Stag made it too clear to ignore. Not telling you was going to get you killed much faster than telling you… and I do trust you, so it was time to put my money where my mouth was. I can’t hide things from you and say I trust you at the same time.”</p><p>Alia couldn’t explain why her eyes were watering again. “X… I trust you, too. I believed you. You had really solid reasons for not telling me. Even before I knew all this, I trusted that fact. Flame Stag… I… couldn’t accept what he’d… what the infection did to him. I got stupid. That wasn’t your fault, X.”</p><p>“Your faith in people, in me, in Flame, is part of what I… love about you,” X forced the words out before they could stop. “I respect its power, and how much it drives you. What I gave you was never going to stop you from fighting for him. I knew that, and I still hid the truth. That lie nearly killed you.”</p><p>Alia leaned over, touching his shoulder. When his eyes came up, she realized he was silently crying himself. “…X, I’m very glad you’ve told me all this, I’m honored by it, and your good opinion is something I… cherish. That doesn’t mean you’re the one to blame for my pain, or how badly I messed up my own mission. You have to let me take responsibility for my choices, X. If you don’t, it means you don’t actually respect me.”</p><p>That last comment made his face falter, and he bowed his head again. “I-I know, I just… I… can’t…”</p><p>“Can’t what?” she prompted softly, trying to call his eyes back up.</p><p>His head lifted as he breathed out, “I can’t hear you scream like that again.”</p><p>Alia’s expression fell with gentle concern, her hand squeezing his shoulder. “That’s what triggered you… Oh, X… I’m… so sorry.”</p><p>His head tilted, even through his sorrow he was incredulous at her apology. “Sorry? Your arm was torn off, Alia. Of course you screamed.” He shrugged helplessly, “<em>Anyone</em> would have screamed.”</p><p>She shook her head. “I’m sorry that I caused so much pain in you, X. You’re one of the kindest and gentlest Reploids I know. I know how much fighting bothers you and hurts you. It’s part of what I love about you,” she turned the phrase back to him with a kind smile. “Seeing you fight like that, seeing that fury and pain in your optics… I knew how much pain you had to be in for that to come out of you.”</p><p>Their gazes lingered for a moment, and he bowed his head again. He swallowed, recovering some control of his emotions, and replied, “No one understands me like you do. I’m grateful.”</p><p>“No one else understood my need to give Flame Stag a chance, either, X. You… just you… really understood that.”</p><p>X managed a wan smile for her, meeting her eyes again.</p><p>Her hand came down from his shoulder. It gently patted his cheek first, his eyes closing with appreciation for the contact, and then it lingered down in front of him, offering a shake.</p><p>“And to be clear… I’m in.”</p><p>His hand gripped hers. “Welcome aboard.” His voice was still soft from his overwhelming emotions.</p><p>She smiled, and helped him stand up. Then she hugged him. X returned the hug immediately, and she could feel his hands shaking on her shoulder and back.</p><p>“You’re not alone,” she whispered.</p><p>He squeezed tighter. “…Thank you.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Churning Metal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The smashing, grinding sounds of the processing facility echoed through the hills of junked metal as usual. A new sound started abruptly as one of the shield-toting security mechaniloids started to inspect one of the hills rather aggressively, bashing and scraping at it with his shield, his blank optics focusing, clearly hunting for a target.</p><p>Abruptly, a Reploid burst out of the metal, pieces flying everywhere as he kicked the mechaniloid in the head. Leaping past the distracted bot, the Reploid landed running. Oddly, he seemed modeled after an old man, with whiskery mustache and overlong goatee of white hair, his body comprised of dull gray and white plating with boxy limbs.</p><p>“Teach ya to mess with MY junkyard, ya useless Maverick bots!” he shouted over his shoulder as he ran.</p><p>While that mechaniloid recovered and started to run after him, the Reploid laughed, pumping his legs as fast as they would carry him. Something red blurred past his front, however, and he shouted as it cut his left arm during its upward swing. The impact also twisted him around, and slammed him into the foot of another hill of junk.</p><p>Another mechaniloid of the same type reached up from the top of the opposite hill, and caught his bladed discus. He leapt down, thudding to a halt in front of the Reploid, and raised his shield up, clearly intending to ram it down into the Reploid’s head.</p><p>The Reploid glanced at something in the pile to his right, his left forearm sparking faintly.</p><p>“Don’t count me out just yet, bucket-head.”</p><p>The mechaniloid paused from some subroutine that required processing a response before attacking apparently.</p><p>The Reploid snapped a gas cylinder out of the junk with his right hand, cracking the valve at the top, and aimed it at the mechaniloid over his left forearm, right over the sparking, torn plating. The impromptu flamethrower engulfed the mechaniloid, causing it to screech and stumble away, parts of its system popping and bursting open from the lack of temperature shielding.</p><p>Twisting and running, the Reploid held his injured arm to his stomach and kept going. He heard the sounds of more mechaniloids starting to charge down over the hills behind him. “Well… sounds like this might be it then,” he muttered, sprinting for all his worth.</p><p>That was when he saw the blue splash of light rip down in front of him. He skidded as it hit the ground, but his boot caught a pipe in the junk beneath him, and he tumbled forward, belly-sliding right up to the feet of Megaman X.</p><p>“Nice work,” X started, smiling for the old Reploid. “Just stay down for a second, please?”</p><p>The old-man Reploid blinked, and just gave a mild nod, unable to speak yet.</p><p>X’s colors snapped to blues and purples as he step-twisted over the old Reploid, his twin busters unleashing a storm of plasma-cutters from Overdrive Ostrich’s weapons system. The Reploid turned onto his back, watching X’s strangely fluid dance of sweeping volleys, all of them searing glowing lines through the junk and mechaniloids, the mechaniloids joining the hills they were running over before they could even fire off their discs.</p><p>Drawing to a halt, both busters up and braced into a combat-ready stance, X’s optics scanned around, verifying he hadn’t missed one that might still threaten the civilian he’d just startled. His new sensors revved up, quickly pulsing the area, confirming nothing else was active. At least for the moment.</p><p>X let his colors and hands revert, and hurried back to the Reploid, offering one hand. “I think you’ve shown me how it’s done long enough for one day, don’t you think, sir?”</p><p>With his good arm, the older Reploid stood up from X’s assistance. “Heh, nice work, son. You’re one of the Maverick Hunters, I hope?”</p><p>“Yes, sir. Name’s X.”</p><p>“Just ‘X’?”</p><p>“Yep,” the Hunter replied with a light smile.</p><p>“Fair enough. I’m Doran. I used to run this place before that Maverick horned in on my business.”</p><p>“Understood. I’m hoping to get him out of here without too much--!?” X cut himself off, twisting around with busters up.</p><p>Doran focused past his new companion, but his optics quickly widened with alarm. The junk was churning up in a storm as something came ripping through just beneath it, clearly intent on the two of them.</p><p>“Doran, no offense, but mind if my team gets you out of here?”</p><p>“You say jump…” Doran started the idiom, but realized he was already being basked in teleportation light. “Stay safe, kid!” he shouted before he was pulled out of the fight.</p><p>X didn’t open fire yet, he realized he wasn’t sure what was actually ripping toward him. He’d also killed his higher senses when his busters triggered to avoid an overload. He wasn’t eager to repeat much of what he did in the geothermal plant…</p><p>At first, he boost-dashed to the side, diving out of the way. Arcs of junk splashed down around him. He tumbled and recovered to a crouch, watching the thing turn around wide, and start to rush toward him again.</p><p>X reactivated his sensors, pulsing the area again. This time, it was clearly some kind of robotic entity, spinning at insane speeds, tunneling through the junk to chase him. Spinning as violently as it was, even his fully activated, Light-upgraded sensors couldn’t catch the details of its shape or function yet.</p><p>While he dove aside one more time, X activated his comm with an internal command. “Shimmer, Dex, you seeing this?” He ducked a chunk of debris that was a bit larger than the rest.</p><p>Shimmer responded, “Yeah, got it. I’m comparing that to data on the Maverick team.” //According to Pyrostrike,// he started to add privately, //that IS Morph Moth. Apparently his name is more than just consonance. He likes to modify his body based on his environment.//</p><p>X raised an eyebrow. //Thanks.// “Just let me know what you get.”</p><p>This time, when he dove aside, he fired down in front of the Maverick. He knew his shot wasn’t powerful enough to trigger what resulted, so he immediately braced down for a fight as the thing burst out of the junk, and flipped up, over, and down into the far hill.</p><p>The thing that landed confused X for a moment. It resembled a rudimentary spider, a central disc of armored skin for a ‘body’, with dozens of spindly gripper legs beneath it. A pair of crimson optics were the only other feature.</p><p>“Morph Moth?” X chose to try.</p><p>“Ah, so you do research your prey, Maverick Hunter. I’d’ve been disappointed if not,” the spider called back with an unusually muffled, echoing voice. “Quite a remarkable resource this junk yard is. Surprisingly well-crafted items. Raw materials the likes of which you’d rarely find.”</p><p>“So why the junky new body?”</p><p>The optics over the legs narrowed. “You’ll see, Megaman X.”</p><p>X started to build power over his frame.</p><p>Then the spider’s optics flared wide, and the legs jerked inward. Air howled like a buzz-saw whirring, and X’s sensors flared alerts. Startled, X twisted around, and then immediately flew into an array of hops, flips, and dodges as arcing blades of floating junk came ripping toward him from every side. It was like the junk was alive, flying out toward Morph Moth in animate geysers from every possible angle, arcing into him like a black hole sucking in meteors.</p><p>As the junk came hurtling inward, Morph Moth started to whir into a vortex again, but he didn’t move this time. X kept flipping and rolling out of the paths of the dancing junk, and activated his full sensors again. Ultrasound, radar, and digital mapping came together in a multi-color view of his environment, and clearly showed Morph Moth’s body was getting bigger by the second.</p><p><em>He’s processing the raw materials and adding them to his structure in one action? That’s mind-bogglingly sophisticated, and he’s wasting it on a weapon system? That kind of tech could make field repairs and emergency medication accessible at almost no cost!</em> X had to realize, pained by the waste of talent.</p><p>Taking the risk, X kept his sensors revving, back-twisting through another arc of junk, and fired a one-two blast of his fully charged busters shots.</p><p>They hit the mark, but he watched the plasma distort and burst apart in odd patterns, barely any able to actually surge through and damage Morph himself. <em>So I need something that lingers a little more. Moth… flame… hm, oddly poetic.</em></p><p>X’s colors flipped, fiery oranges and reds taking over his armor. As he twisted, flipped, and ducked around more arcs of junk, he fired off with both busters in lashing sweeps. Dancing gouts of fire ripped forward like bolts, borrowed from Flame Stag’s weapon systems.</p><p>The flames coated the flying junk as much as splashing into and wrapping around the whirling blender that was Morph Moth. The Maverick crashed down to the side, screeching inhumanly as it ducked and rolled around the junk, trying to put the fire out.</p><p>X started to dash forward in the lull of flying junk. “That’s a magnificent processing system, but it’s a little hard to incorporate something that’s already burning, right?”</p><p>“Shut your trap, you arrogant little bomber man!” Morph roared, lifting himself out of the junk on his legs with a glare.</p><p>“Bomber man? Really?” X returned with dry humor as he came rushing forward.</p><p>Morph whirled into a fresh vortex.</p><p>This time, X kept rushing closer, but he had to jump, side-twist, and flip through more of the ripping arcs of junk, which became faster and more intense the closer he got to Morph. He started to fire blasts of Speed Burn into the arcs as they flew past him, effectively looking like he was dancing with the revving lines of junk as his arms joined the unexpectedly graceful series of acrobatic stunts he had to pull to stay alive. He was also starting to build energy over his frame as he did so.</p><p>At last, the two were almost on top of each other. Morph Moth snapped out of his spin, roaring and snapping several legs up at the Maverick Hunter. X started to dive into that attack head-first… and then unleashed fully charged version of Speed Burn. His body ignited, turning into a living inferno, as it propelled him forward at jet-speeds, his boots adding even more after-burn.</p><p>X was past Morph Moth, skidding and twisting at the end of a valley he’d scorched through the junk, his optics locking on the Maverick. A chunk of Morph Moth’s spider body was missing in the same path of the valley X’s body had dug.</p><p>“You can stand down, Morph Moth,” X called back firmly.</p><p>Shivering where he stood, the Maverick’s undamaged optic sharpened to a bloody slit, still facing away from X. “There is no standing down, not from this. Enough games!”</p><p>A strand of something shot out of the Maverick’s head, hitting a far hill. X tried to dash after him, but the maneuver was lightning fast, ripping Morph Moth out of site like a thunderbolt.</p><p>X growled, and started to dash in the direction he’d seen the body fly. He boost-flipped over a last hill, and crashed to one knee. There he froze. His optics widened at the torn open remains of the spider body.</p><p>A rush of air above him made X dive to his left. Morph Moth shot down, and smashed his fist into the ground where X had been kneeling, blasting debris everywhere.</p><p>Easing back from the strike, the Maverick faced X in his fully actualized body, massive wings idly flapping behind him, large, frilled antennae over his head, his body colored in yellow, silver, and gray. “Well, you pay attention, I’ll give you that.”</p><p>X tipped his head, and started to build power over his body again. “I’ll say it one more time. You can stand down, Morph Moth. I’m not here to kill you unless I have to.”</p><p>“Spare me!” Morph snapped, his hands snapping across his own front. A blast of metallic pink dust ripped forward.</p><p>X tried to dodge back, but the dust still splashed over him. His sensors overloaded, and he had to deactivate them. He started to grimace, as parts of his systems tried to tell him he was burning, taking heavy damage, while others insisted he was fine, and nothing was hurting him.</p><p>A thundering blow to the side of his head made all systems agree, and he crashed through the junk with a shout.</p><p>“Sometimes paying attention hurts, doesn’t it?” Morph called out, a loud flapping sound cracking the air.</p><p>X picked himself, his optics still hazed by the dust. Risking it, he reactivated his sensors. He gasped from pain, his frame shaking, but he did sense Morph Moth hurtling down at him again.</p><p>“True enough,” he chose to respond, and then ripped skyward with a full-powered Speed Burn ramming attack.</p><p>Morph Moth shouted in surprise, twisting to one side, but his left wing was incinerated while his flank was badly scorched.</p><p>The Maverick crashed down hard, grunting and rolling. X landed to a crouch, and turned around, his eyes still closed. “Overdrive Ostrich nearly broke himself free. You don’t seem to even try, Morph Moth. Are you that weak willed?” It was a tactical risk. If the peaceful approach was failing, perhaps prickling the real Reploid’s sensibilities could help him crack through.</p><p>Morph Moth started to stand up, growling. “I was one of the first. He was one of the last. It doesn’t matter either way. I’m still going to tear you in half!” He started to charge forward.</p><p>X’s brow creased. <em>The duration of the infection was different? Interesting…</em> He fired once Speed Burn, then twisted and stepped as his colors reverted, firing a pulse-blast at the Maverick’s head.</p><p>The burning blast hit Morph’s second wing, making him jerk and shout, trying to put it out… just in time for the pulse bolt to punch through his weakened head-plating. The body stumbled slightly, and then crashed down, the wing still burning.</p><p>“Sorry,” X muttered, grimacing at the body. He exhaled, and walked over, making sure to collect Morph’s personality processor and buffer. He touched the body’s shoulder for a moment. “Thank you for the information.”</p><hr/><p>Morph’s digital self came aware with a start. “Who-what… huh?”</p><p>X’s digital presence appeared with a wan smile. “Sorry about the wings.”</p><p>“You… pulled my personality chip. You knew it was an infection?”</p><p>“Exactly. I have a lot to explain, but I wanted to ask you about something you said. You mentioned Overdrive was one of the ones infected last?”</p><p>Morph Moth nodded, realizing what X was getting at. “Yes, I’m glad you realized how important that was. It took just about everything I had to get those words through.”</p><p>“I’d suspected that. Again, sorry about the fight. I know how the infection works, so I couldn’t really play nice.”</p><p>“I’m glad you didn’t. I fully intended to tear you to pieces at the time,” Morph Moth listed off with some morbid, dry humor. More serious, he went on, “You can thank Crystal Snail, truthfully. He somehow realized what was happening to us before we became fully Maverick. His research focuses on relative time perception and how various forces can actually affect time and its influences. He basically found a way to slow down the infection. We weren’t all infected at once, however, so some of us were already much further gone. Overdrive was the last one, at least that I’m aware of.”</p><p>X was astonished. “Crystal Snail actually slowed down the virus’ processing functions?”</p><p>“Slowed our entire processing system. The virus uses the host’s hardware, like always. We became less effective, but we were able to stay aware a little longer. We were trying to find a way to stop the infection, and we fully intended to destroy each other if we couldn’t, but apparently we lowered our defenses at the wrong time.” Morph shrugged. “Truthfully, that’s all I know about the situation. …I’m glad you got Doran out. He was always a good Reploid. Grumpy, but a kind soul.”</p><p>“You knew him before?”</p><p>“Indirectly. We were on the island as an observation team. There was concern that the island might try to rebel as an independent nation, so the human authorities dispatched us as infiltrators.”</p><p>X’s eyes widened. “You were sent to keep the humans from rebelling?”</p><p>“Scouts, information gathering, but I’m sure that was the end-goal, yes.”</p><p>X crossed his arms, one hand stroking his chin. “…Disturbing. So they knew how dangerous this place could get, but still never told us, even after it went dark.”</p><p>“Maverick Hunters were the last forces the humans wanted on this island, X. I think they would’ve preferred no one knew the island existed.”</p><p>X frowned. “I fear you’re right… Still, that’s a problem for another day. I have a proposal I’d like to run by you, Morph Moth.”</p><p>The digital antennae perked up. “I’m listening.”</p><hr/><p>“X, thanks for coming,” Alia greeted happily.</p><p>He walked into a lab in Maverick Hunter Headquarters with a fond smile back, waving casually. “Of course. I thought you were supposed to be on leave for recovery for a day or two yet, though?”</p><p>Alia giggled, still tapping a few controls on her console. “Well, staying at home for a few days tends make me go batty, so I got permission to work on some ‘unrelated to Hunting projects’,” she listed out, complete with finger-quotes.</p><p>X chuckled, and came up beside her. “So what did you want to show me?”</p><p>“A concept,” she began simply, gesturing up at her main screen.</p><p>The display showed a generic template of a Reploid body, and quickly zoomed in to the central processor and system buffer.</p><p>“What usually actually kills a Reploid in combat is the feed-back surge into the processor from other systems failing unexpectedly,” Alia explained the grim information calmly, academic at the moment. “After our… talk the other day, I got an idea.” Her hands adjusted a few controls.</p><p>X watched, intrigued as the processor and buffer literally disconnected from the systems around them, while mechanical structures closed them off. “…Physical isolation of the core components,” he muttered.</p><p>“Exactly,” Alia confirmed. “Basically, with some very simple hardware upgrades, and a new subroutine I’m developing right now, a Reploid’s body would first react to possibly lethal damage by actually pulling the processor and buffer out of the data loop entirely, also securing them in a type of black-box system. Obviously, you can’t fight like that, but it would make your core systems easier to recover and much harder to destroy.”</p><p>Turning to X, she finished, “So far, I’m calling it Emergency Stasis.”</p><p>X faced her as well. “It’s simple and effective. Sacrifice the body to save the mind.”</p><p>“When the body is on the verge of total failure anyway, yes.” Alia shrugged a little. “It seems like a good idea, and… might help with certain recovery operations on the field?” she finished with a meaningful glance at him.</p><p>X half-smiled, and then nodded to the console. “It’s a great idea, and more importantly, it’s going to save lives. I’ll definitely give it my note of approval on the official side. You going to run it by Dr. Cain?”</p><p>“Already did,” Alia replied with a grin. “He loves it, too. Once I have a workable prototype put together, we’ll test it live, and then mass-implementation if the tests are promising.”</p><p>“Great work,” X replied, a hand coming up to grip her shoulder. “Thanks.”</p><p>She caught the deeper current in his optics, and smiled warmly. “Any word on promising new recruits?”</p><p>X chuckled as he eased away. “Not just yet, but I have a good feeling. I’ll make sure to toss you any promising ones I spot, okay?”</p><p>“Sounds good. Stay safe, X. I’ll be back on operations duty tomorrow.”</p><p>“Looking forward to it. You stay safe, too, lieutenant.”</p><p>Once he was out of the lab, Alia smiled faintly up at the screen. He was doing much better. That terrible weight was easier on him, she could tell. <em>How much of it was really just wanting to tell me?</em> The idea made her grave, and she looked down at the console near her hands. <em>All the more reason I’m glad he finally did.</em></p><p>Her hands clenched for a moment, refocusing her thoughts, and she got back to work.</p><hr/><p>Dr. Cain sat at a large console of his own, but this one didn’t have a view screen. Instead, it looked out over a self-contained construction chamber. The various body parts of Zero that X had collected from the X-Hunters controlled by the virus were already in position on a central table, being slowly and carefully put together by mechanical arms and tools arrayed on hydraulic lifts from all around the chamber.</p><p>His cane was hooked on the edge of the console as he worked, his face grim with focus, his eyes shifting around the controls as his hands adjusted them.</p><p>“Warning,” the computer quietly began, “subject structural arrangement unable to process. Advise halt of procedure. Unable to calculate subject activation potential.”</p><p>Dr. Cain smirked faintly, and kept working. “Indeed, isn’t that alarming?” he muttered. “An unmatched creation, beyond my own understanding… recreated by a bunch of Mavericks.”</p><p>The personality chip and system buffer X had retrieved were suspended over the body being constructed in energy bubbles.</p><p>“I do wonder what you’ll say when you wake up, Zero. Will you hate me? Will you be yourself, or are there secrets hidden in this body that will spell doom for us all?”</p><p>Dr. Cain adjusted a few more controls, the torso and waist gently pulling together and getting the focus of the current work.</p><p>“X is playing things close to the chest, as always. He and I can’t properly work together. I have to treat him like a common soldier, when he’s the single most powerful Reploid any of us have seen. …Of course, except possibly for you, Zero.” Dr. Cain looked out at Zero’s passive face. “Am I just another scared animal, grasping for some imagined sense of control? Or am I bringing you back because you’re one of our best? And I want X to have some backup that might actually make a difference? I don’t even know.”</p><p>A dry chuckle sounded in the lab as he continued. “Those ‘X-Hunters’ wouldn’t just let this pass, either. If they haven’t taken action, it means they’re waiting for something.” Dr. Cain focused on the processor floating in the room beyond. “You’ll still be on our side, won’t you, Zero?”</p><p>The lab just kept working, slowly, carefully putting the red Maverick Hunter back together. His unconscious face looked up at his own processor as the work continued, unmoving, unaffected… waiting.</p><hr/><p>Cadis flinched as part of the wall she was ducking behind exploded. She hefted a plasma rifle matched to her upgraded body’s clean white and silver frame, a targeting lens over her left eye. With her hair tied back in a ponytail, she snapped out of cover, fired once, and ducked again, her expression focused.</p><p>One of the target mechaniloids blew apart before it could fire at her position again in the large, square training chamber. It was currently configured like an old war zone, ruined buildings providing plentiful cover, but dozens of mechaniloids floated around, ready to fire stun-bolts that would remove trainees from the session.</p><p>“Nice shot.”</p><p>Cadis jerked, and then glanced to her right. “H-hi. Thanks. Blast Squirrel, right?”</p><p>The predominantly brown Reploid beside her nodded his obviously squirrel-like face. He had big, blue optics, and his body-armor was highlighted in blue and silver. Sharp fins of metal were folded under his arms and up his flanks, and he had a rather substantial plasma cannon latched onto his right arm at the moment.</p><p>“This position is getting a little swarmed, thought you might need a hand punching through?” Blast Squirrel added, aiming his cannon blind over the top of the wall and firing once. The purple-white blast somehow hit a target, they both heard it.</p><p>“Sadly,” Cadis admitted, a rueful glance off to the left following. “The team in that building got wiped out before they could coordinate with me to clear out the targets.”</p><p>“Eh, cocky brats. It’s why we do these training sessions. I’ll give a 3-2-1-go. On ‘go’ break across the wall and get behind that building. If you can take some out, great, but I’ll try to draw them the other way.” As he finished, his cannon detached from his arm, connected to his lower back, and his bladed fins snapped into flexile wings connecting his arms to his body.</p><p>“Copy,” Cadis replied as she snapped a shot over the wall herself. Another target went down.</p><p>“3… 2… 1… GO!”</p><p>They split instantly, Cadis dive rolling, and firing once as she skidded sideways on her stomach. Her shot lanced two targets in one hit, and she twisted up to dive out of view as a few tried to chase after her.</p><p>Blast Squirrel shot through the air, swirling around the whole mass of mechaniloids hovering around. They blasted at him in volleys of pale blue light, but he just knotted them tighter and tighter together in his sweeping, looping patterns.</p><p>Cadis peeked out from her new cover, and gawked. <em>Holy heck, he’s a good flyer! Isn’t he brand new like me? </em>She touched her comm, “Need any suppressing fire or something?”</p><p>“Punch out the heart of their formation after my next pass.”</p><p>“Copy,” she muttered, taking aim already.</p><p>She watched his tail pass out of her cross-hairs, and then she flicked her rifle to auto, and unleashed a volley of her own. Her frame rattled with the staccato pulse-blasts.</p><p>This time Blast Squirrel had to hover up, pausing in astonishment. Mechaniloids were flying apart. Not a single shot of her volley missed a target. Every one struck true. <em>An auto-fire spray with sniper-level precision? Damn, this rookie has talent</em>. He twisted around a counter-shot from one mechaniloid, and snapped his tail down at them. A small spray of plasma erased a chunk of their formation, and he started to round them up into a tighter ball again.</p><p>“Nice job, Cadis. Ready for another barrel-shoot?”</p><p>She chuckled. <em>So he does know my name. </em>“Just let me know.”</p><p>“NOW!”</p><p>Her cross-hairs focused, and she watched him pan up past her view this time. She fired another volley.</p><p>This one tore out most of the remaining mechaniloids, and Blast Squirrel whirled about, firing a volley of his own, pegging the rest of the scattered handful with quick work.</p><p>Cadis checked to be sure, then eased out of cover, rifle still ready. “Nice flying.”</p><p>Blast Squirrel swept down, landing in front of her. He tail rejoined his arm, and his wings deconstructed out of his way again. He grinned for her. “Nice shooting. You’ve got some real talent with that rifle, kid.”</p><p>“Kid?” she asked, chuckling. “You joined after me!”</p><p>He twitched. “Oh! Right. Whoops! Sorry, boss lady!”</p><p>Cadis laughed. “Whatever works.” She jerked a little when the all-clear sounded over the training chamber. “Wait, that was it?” She glanced around. “Where are all the others?”</p><p>“We’re it,” Blast Squirrel explained, arms akimbo. “You were the last one standing other than me, Cadis. You did a dang good job holding out in that nightmare position. It’s why I could get over here to help. Everything else was mopped up or in the penalty box.”</p><p>Cadis let her rifle slump down finally. “We’re the only two that passed?”</p><p>“Precisely,” a new voice said from behind her.</p><p>She twisted with her rifle, bracing, but kept it down as she recognized a non-hostile target. Blast Squirrel shared a wry smile with Inferno as he came stomping up.</p><p>“Good reaction time, Cadis. You didn’t assume the area was fully secured, but you also checked your target,” Inferno went on casually.</p><p>Cadis snapped into a salute, which Blast Squirrel joined.</p><p>“Thank you, sir,” Cadis replied.</p><p>“Just stating facts, recruit. You two will move on to the next level of training. The rest will get some remedial lessons.”</p><p>Cadis flushed. “That’s a relief, sir.”</p><p>Inferno chuckled. “You may not think so once that next level of training starts up, Cadis, but I appreciate your enthusiasm. Blast Squirrel, you know the way to training class 13-A, right?”</p><p>“Yes, sir!”</p><p>“Go ahead and get your new desks situated for the first debriefing this afternoon. Then take a well-earned break.”</p><p>Cadis and Blast Squirrel saluted, and Cadis happily walked along with her companion to do exactly that.</p><p>Inferno activated a private comm as he started to move around and help the defeated trainees out of their stun-lock. //New body seems to work well for you, Blast.//</p><p>//Like a charm! Who designed this awesome wing system?//</p><p>//Airstrike, actually. He thought you might like it after Pyrostrike let him know a thing or two about your style.//</p><p>//Hah! Good ole Pyro always has my back. I’ll get Airstrike a charge on me!//</p><p>Inferno chuckled physically, and then swatted a recruit upside the head before he could complain about the stun bolts hitting too hard again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Magnetic Flux</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“This is getting out of hand!” Agile protested sharply, pacing with hard stamps of his sleek boots.</p><p>Serges rolled his mismatched optics as he worked at a console. It clearly showed maps and readouts of the Maverick Hunter Headquarters. “Agile! Power down or go practice with your saber elsewhere. Megaman X obtaining the parts was a calculated risk from the start. We all agreed to the plan.”</p><p>Violen smashed a fist into the other hand, leaning against a wall off to Serges’ right. “For once, I’m with Agile, Serges. I held nothing back from that archaic brat, and I know Agile is too proud of himself not to do the same, whatever he claims now—”</p><p>“I was baiting him!” Agile snapped.</p><p>Violen didn’t pause his tone, “Case in point—and we still lost the parts. He didn’t just defeat us, he robbed us blind. I know YOU had no intention of him surviving your encounter, Serges!” he finished with a firm point at the smallest of their trio. “You spent far too long working on that hover-board of yours to sacrifice it as a minor weapon.”</p><p>“And yet,” Serges began, “I’m the only one not panicking. Recall that I’m in charge while we await the master because <em>I’m the one with the plan</em>, you two.” His voice unexpectedly thrummed the room, the other Mavericks jerking and becoming more passive, wary.</p><p>Alarms began to ring around them, Agile and Violen snapping to full battle stances.</p><p>Serges, however, turned from his console with a smirk. The pair eased awkwardly, glaring at him.</p><p>“What is this?” Violen growled.</p><p>“Phase one.”</p><hr/><p>Signas marched into the commander center, alarms already sounding. Dr. Cain and X were near the main console-table, Alia and Dex busily working at the diagnostic stations just beyond. “When did it start?” Signas began.</p><p>“Three minutes ago,” X answered, his arms crossed, frowning down at a holograph display of the computer facility on the island.</p><p>Alia leaned back. “Dex and I just completed full network sweeps. The computer facility is still isolated on the network. Whatever they’re doing, it hasn’t reached out yet.”</p><p>Signas looked down at the readings himself. “That’s some of the most extreme sensor jamming I’ve ever seen.”</p><p>Dr. Cain stroked his beard and added, “Precisely. They have completely isolated that facility. Nothing inside can be touched. They’re pumping so much power into that effort, I can’t help but be gravely concerned.”</p><p>“I think we all are,” Signas replied, seeming to consider the map himself.</p><p>On their private network, X asked, //Overload, you have data on this surge yet? Theories?//</p><p>//It’s very strange, X. By the raw power being pulled the scale must be massive, but the sensor block doesn’t explain more than a fraction of a percent of this surge. All I can say for sure is if that level of power goes critical, it could leave a substantial dent in that island, to say nothing of the possible weapons they could be activating. Even then, this is stupidly obvious. There are ways of disguising large power usage, and they’re NOT doing it.//</p><p>Alia cut in, //That’s exactly what’s worrying me so much. …This smells like a trap. Bait.//</p><p>//Even so…// X trailed off, and then spoke aloud, “I have to check it out. Alia, we’re confident Magna Centipede is the Maverick controlling this facility, right?”</p><p>She glanced at him from her console with worry at first, but then calmed and nodded. “He’s the most logical choice. His expertise was both scientific and network related.”</p><p>“Dr. Cain?” X prompted, his arms relaxing down.</p><p>“…Approved,” the human answered, closing his eyes with a sigh.</p><p>Signas privately added, //I’ll gather more of our team here at headquarters. I suspect they’re trying to draw us out.//</p><p>//I was about to ask,// X agreed, already running for the exit of the command center.</p><p>Using a channel directly from herself to Signas, Alia asked, //Is it always like this?//</p><p>She caught Signas’ faint smirk to control a chuckle. //More or less.//</p><hr/><p>The teleport field carrying X slammed down in front of the towering, white-gray edifice that was the computer facility. X ran out of the diminishing energies, his view pulling up maps, data read outs, and a holograph overlay based on the data Alia and the others had pulled together. The main door was a fortified wall of hydraulics, so he didn’t even bother. With a leap and boost, he ripped up the wall, and started to catch and leap from different structures along the sides of the building.</p><p>Reaching an exit vent he had his display highlighting, he used two plasma cutters to get through it quickly, slipping into the ventilation shaft.</p><p>After a few moments of barely controlled sliding, X came down out of a ceiling vent, and landed to a crouch in one of the central halls of the facility. He touched his comm as a test. Painful static made him cringe, and he shut it off. <em>Definitely not reaching anyone through that mess.</em></p><p>It was clear the facility was on high alert. There were sensor lights panning almost every corner of the various catwalk levels and platforms, and mechaniloid drones were hovering around in patrols. X had been keeping his enhanced sensors active, both getting used to keeping them on, and knowing he needed every edge possible in this deathtrap of a building. The Mavericks had been given all the time in the world to set up any nightmare they’d want in this area.</p><p>Most of what he pulled with his sensors was as expected, various types of sensors in the searching lights, some pressure plates. It was the drones in this area they caught his attention. They had horrendously powerful plasma generators in their little bulbous frames.</p><p>Not taking risks, he flipped his weapons, charged up, and activated Sting Chameleon’s cloaking system. Shimmering out of sight, he shot forward, ducking under a drone, and weaving through a few search lights as they panned over his head or past on either side. The facility was large enough that even his enhanced sensors couldn’t fully detail all of it at once. At least his map looked correct so far.</p><p>His sensors flared abruptly. He knew something was wrong magnetically around him, but it was too fast even for his body without prior experience. Something flung him off the floor he’d just reached, slamming him up into the underside of a catwalk for the second level. He grunted, trying to scramble along despite the odd, almost gravity-like pressure shoving him upward. A scanner light swept in too fast, however, and washed over him like a beam of sunlight.</p><p>Alarms flared, the search lights turning red. The drones all twisted and started to blaze toward him, each of them channeling blue-white plasma into forward-facing shields for their little purple and gray bodies.</p><p>X growled, rammed himself forward, and started to boost-stride at full speed, energy pouring into his frame as the drones swept into his wake.</p><p>The flooring ahead of him dropped out, and he did a flip-jump, firing a one-two plasma storm back at the leader of the mechaniloid pack. The first blast shattered the plasma shield, the second erase the little drone from existence. The others’ shields protected them from the backwash, however, and they kept chasing.</p><p>As he landed, X realized he had no room to breathe. Massive blocks of metal were rushing toward him, clearly being manipulated by some kind of magnetic rail beneath the floor. Charging the closest block at full speed, he boosted into a last-second, full-body leap, barely carrying his boot-tips over the massive block’s upper edge.</p><p>X couldn’t risk a backward glance to watch the wave of massive blocks crash into the drones and shatter them to spare parts before the blocks very orderly sank into the open hole in the flooring, taking turns at high speed to do so.</p><p>Instead, X had to leap, dive, flip, and twist around rushing blocks just like the first wave, and it was getting harder as the hallway he had to take was barely large enough for the blocks themselves.</p><p>The floor gave way beneath him again, but a block was ripping toward him from further ahead anyway. X ground to a halt, let that block sink down into the gap with mathematical perfection. Then X dove forward, diving away from a second block ripping up from behind him. He had to do a hand-stand flip off the first block down in the pit to avoid a third coming down onto his head, intending to crush him down into the pit.</p><p>“Well he’s not pulling any punches!” X exclaimed, sprint-boosting away from the near-disaster.</p><p>The hallway ended abruptly enough to startle him even with his mapping. The sheer scale of the next chamber made him glance up in momentary awe. It was truly cavernous, easily able to hold several smaller buildings in it. “They building more super-mechaniloids here?” he muttered as he boosted along. He needed the far wall, which he could climb and continue on his path using a maintenance hatch about halfway up the tremendous wall.</p><p>His sensors warned him something was trying to scan him. X accelerated, but at the same time the ceiling lost to the darkness above started to rain down globular chunks of metallic fluid. It would have looked like harmless rain, except each globule was bigger than X himself, and was flying down at lethal speed.</p><p>Almost immediately, X was juking, flipping, sliding, and rolling around crashing debris that solidified into rigid walls and partial consoles on impact. With his sensors listing it all out in painful detail, X managed an astonished, “Magnetic construction protocols? With liquid metal module templates? And they’re wasting this on an exaggerated quick-sand trap? Even for a virus that’s just a sad.” <em>I’ll need to tell Alia about this, I bet she could have this system do some real good.</em></p><p>His sensors felt the room trying to scan him again. A targeting grid was trying to hone in on his frame. Clearly coordinated with the scanner, modules were raining down just around him to trap him in a box. X leapt up, twisted out of a mid-air collision with one module, and air-dashed out.</p><p>At last, he was at the wall. Kick-climbing with full-power dashes, he churned up the wall with all his possible power, finally hand-flipping over the ledge he needed, and plasma-blasting the door open.</p><p>Charging through the short hall beyond, he skidded to a stop in a contained chamber. There was a door across, but between that and him stood a hulking mechaniloid. It was a dull yellow color, with a large, mono-optic head, claw grippers, and a narrow spinal structure under the broad torso plating.</p><p>X jerked, but eased as he watched the sensor grid that had tried to read him focus on the mechaniloid, and download data into it. He smirked. “I see. Adaptive guardian programming. Trying to learn about the intruder in more detail. Clever.”</p><p>The mechaniloid activated, and flexed its claws, a deep growl coming from its inner chest. “Target acquired.”</p><p>It lunged forward with one claw, the talons snapping open as they glowed vibrantly. X’s sensors told him it was definitely a projectile attack building, so he was already diving aside before the tri-part plasma bolt shot free, sizzling past him.</p><p>Starting to build a charge, X dashed and tumbled around the chamber, the mechaniloid missing several more attacks. Side-flipping with his full charge, X activated both busters, and unleashed another one-two plasma shock-wave just as he landed.</p><p>They hit—hard—but the mechaniloid only stumbled back as the burning energy washed over its frame, some systems venting steam as it started to aim at him again.</p><p>“Nice armor,” X commented, side-dashing out of another shot as his colors flipped to green hues. “I don’t have the time to linger, however.” He twisted, snapping his plasma-saw launchers at the large droid with a fluid motion.</p><p>The two burning wheels shot out and cleaved into the thing’s chest. It gave an electronic squeal as they dug into the heavy torso structure. Desperately, it tried to fire at X more times with both claws, and the Maverick Hunter had to dive, roll, and leap about several times as the thing crashed down, and finally collapsed completely. Most of its torso collapsed in on itself shortly thereafter.</p><p>“You were built to take a beating, that’s for sure,” X muttered, seeming almost nauseous. Unable to spend more time contemplating the mechaniloid’s demise, X focused on the closed door. His new sensors let him patch into the system almost easily, but unlocking it would still take some time. “Ugh, this entire place is a giant stall tactic,” he muttered, moving to the console for the door as his remote systems began working already.</p><hr/><p>Dex hurried into the command center, rushing past Signas and Dr. Cain at the main console, and brought a datapad to Alia at her own. “The latest from our scout team at the perimeter. X is definitely inside, they verified that much.”</p><p>Alia took the pad with a grateful smile. “Thanks, Dex.”</p><p>With a glance at her screen, his optics quirked. “Wow, we’re mobilizing a large force back to base, aren’t we?”</p><p>“Yes. This behavior at the facility is just too odd. It was Signas’ initiative.”</p><p>“Logical. Here’s hoping--!?”</p><p>The room quaked and fresh alarms started, everyone glancing around for a core-pulse before scrambling to gather data locally rather than X’s mission.</p><p>“Nevermind!” Dex blurted out, side-flipping over Alia’s console to access one himself.</p><p>“Confirmed impact!” Alia shouted back to Signas and Dr. Cain. “I’ve got a few mechaniloids on grid and… one of those X-Hunters!” she actually looked back over her shoulder to lock eyes with Signas.</p><p>The display on the holotable before Signas and Dr. Cain showed Violen smirking as he marched through a dust-cloud, into the lobby of the main building.</p><p>“Deploy Inferno’s team immediately!” Signas called back, already adding it over the comm. “I want all defense forces mobilized and systems at full alert. This is NOT a drill!”</p><p>Another quake struck, this one much more severe. Signas had to steady himself at his console, and Alia announced, “This level! Hall 7!”</p><p>“Right through the armored bulkhead!” Dex added.</p><p>A scanner-feed showed Agile bursting through the still-falling debris with floating mechaniloids in tow.</p><p>Dr. Cain instantly ordered, “Mobilize Quickman’s squad to that point!”</p><p>“Done!” Alia shouted.</p><p>Signas seemed to eye the display for a moment, and then turned to Dr. Cain. “Doctor, where are Zero’s parts located currently?”</p><p>The human blinked up at him. “…In my secured lab.”</p><p>“I only see two X-Hunters, and this is clearly a multi-prong attack already. I think we need to secure your lab, Dr. Cain.”</p><p>“So we do. This way!”</p><p>As he rushed out with Dr. Cain, Signas touched his comm. “Any Hunters not already tasked, join me at my signal. Lieutenant Alia you have operational control!”</p><p>“Yes, sir!”</p><hr/><p>Violen laughed as he leaned into a full-body sweep with his mace. The hydraulic arm connected to his back wrenched the massive wrecking-ball of a weapon clear through the reception desk of the main entrance hall. More shield-toting, discus-throwing mechaniloids were marching in around him, their weapons ready to throw.</p><p>“What’s wrong, Maverick Hunters! Afraid to come out and PLAY!?”</p><p>The mace tore back through the wall, cutting a chunk out of it beyond the wreckage of the desk.</p><p>“Just needed you to walk in far enough.”</p><p>Violen snapped around, only to be engulfed in two waves of fire, the mechaniloids between him and the torn-open entrance flying apart from the same onslaught.</p><p>Inferno stood there, legs braced wide, with both arms aimed into the attack. He heard the unique howl of air from the counter-attack, and dove aside with astonishing agility for his girth, rolling to a crouch as the mace smashed a new crater where he’d stood.</p><p>Discs were flying, arcing in from all angles at the Maverick Hunter as well. Inferno smirked, however, and Violen, still smoking, frowned as plasma bolts tore the discs out of the air.</p><p>Blast Squirrel shot through the air, cutting a sharp turn through the room as he shot more mechaniloids. Others were pin-point blown through by some other source not visible in the room yet.</p><p>“I think my team’s a little better than yours, eh?” Inferno mocked.</p><p>“We’ll see,” Violen muttered, and then pulled himself into a heavy spin, his hands aiming out and swirling.</p><p>Plasma bolts of his own started to fill the air. Blast Squirrel and Inferno had to dive for cover. Cadis revealed herself as she had to dash from one point near the back of the room, and dive-roll behind a chunk of wall that was sturdy enough to take a few bolt-strikes.</p><p>“He’s certainly got enough weapons hidden away,” she hissed.</p><p>Two chunks of metal suddenly flew up, over, and down on either side of Violen from the wreckage of the front of the room, and Violen stopped his spin. Spikesaw crashed down to a heavy landing, his forearms snapping open and extending his plasma-cutters as they revved to full speed. Snapvice landed opposite him, the hydraulic pincers closing down over his hands with a piercing crack that told more of their power than the visible mechanics did.</p><p>“Well now that I have your attention!” Violen roared, and started to let rip with his mace again.</p><p>It was already churning through to the chamber to his right, Cadis barely sliding under it, when plasma fire started to rain into the lobby from outside.</p><p>Hover-cycle mechaniloids were rushing into the main yard of the facility, unleashing a storm of firepower into its base. Inferno, Spikesaw, Snapvice, and Blast Squirrel were scattered, diving for cover and rolling out the mace’s path in sudden desperation.</p><hr/><p>Deepfreeze turned the hallway into a wall of ice as he back-rolled toward the commander center, sliding to a halt with Airstrike and Depthcharge, who had weapons trained on the wall. They could see the pockmark blasts from the mechaniloids surging into the building with Agile, the ice starting to crack.</p><p>The wall tore apart under Agile’s ferocious slice and leap, chunks of ice shattering against the bulkheads around him as he surged down on Deepfreeze, the sword re-positioning for a lightning fast lunge.</p><p>Airstrike fired a tornado blast as Depthcharge unleashed a four-set of torpedoes, and the one spun the others into a combination attack. Agile had to swirl in mid-dive, but he deftly sliced the missiles apart as he disrupted the air-current. He landed with his momentum, flowing into a dance-hop, bringing his sword down at Deepfreeze’s head.</p><p>Deepfreeze snapped his hands up, and fired his cryo-blasters just as the sword reached him. The sword halted as his front and Agile’s arm exploded in jagged spikes of ice, making Agile’s sneer distort into a growl.</p><p>“I’ll tear your processor out, you little ice-monger!”</p><p>“You should watch your feet,” Deepfreeze replied, his voice unfazed.</p><p>Agile glanced down, and turned dismal. He snap-twisted, shattering himself free as the ground at his feet turned slick with ice. Airstrike fired again, ramming the viral X-Hunter back down the hall. Four torpedoes followed, but Agile was recovering, and sliced them apart as he rose up.</p><p>“Enough games!”</p><p>He swirled around, his sword glowing, and he wrenched it down into a vicious slash. All three Maverick Hunters dove back and split into doorways as a plasma-wave ripped down the hall, scorching ceiling and floor all the way to the far side of the building.</p><p>The trio were recovering immediately, but Depthcharge saw the flicker of Agile’s mass shooting past them. “Command, he’s past us!” he warned into his comm.</p><p>The three of them had to rush out and open fire on the swarm of mechaniloids gunners trying to fly after their master to make sure the problem didn’t get worse.</p><p>Agile tore through into another chamber, looking across tall, two-way display screens, to a more heavily fortified door beyond. He smirked. “Ripe for the slaughter.”</p><p>Wind-rushes caught his audio-receptors, and he blurred forward, flipping over and landing to a crouch. The ground he’d occupied now had a crater and a slash through it. “Hm, fast,” he commented, starting to sneer again.</p><p>Turbo flickered into view in front of him. “You noticed. I’m <em>flattered!</em>”</p><p>Agile reeled from the upper-cut to his jaw, but snapped into a spinning slash with his boot en pointe. Turbo folded back, barely dodging the first sweep of the plasma blade, and rolled back.</p><p>Then a surge and clang sounded, Agile halted with widened optics, facing forward as his sword aimed back, caught in a pair of metal pincers.</p><p>Quickman raised his head, his arm up high to hold his own weapon for the collision, facing Agile’s back. “You’re fast, slick, but can you back it up when your speed isn’t an advantage?”</p><p>“Slick?” Agile turned violently dark. “I’ll cut you in half just for that!”</p><p>Both flickered, but neither touched, Agile glaring out at the Maverick Hunter as Quickman replaced his weapon on his forehead, standing calmly off to the side. Turbo was rising back up almost casually.</p><p>Quickman then patted his stomach, sides, and chest, then held his hands to his face in mock-dismay. “Still in one piece! OH NO!”</p><p>Agile shivered, his teeth grinding, and he roared as he ripped after the crimson Maverick Hunter.</p><hr/><p>The harshly lit chamber around the construction table holding Zero’s body gave a piercing snap as plasma started to sear through the heavy hydraulic door securing it. The table was segmented and elevated into a chair-like position, Zero’s unconscious form staring blankly at the massive metal chunk that fell inward with glowing-hot edges.</p><p>Serges stomped forward onto the door, starting to smirk. His ‘hat’ was missing, but a veritable swarm of mechaniloid spider-bots were crawling in around him. “Ah, Zero. It’s been far too long.”</p><p>He started forward, a hand actually reaching toward the prize staring back at him so blankly.</p><p>Crackling and splitting metals and plastics rang through the air from the two-way mirror to Serges’ left a core-pulse before purple light ripped through it as a long blade. Serges started to twist, his oblong optics flaring, but he couldn’t react fast enough to fully counter Signas diving through the weakened wall with a battle-roar, purple beam-saber swinging back at the Maverick from cutting the opening.</p><p>That purple blade reflected in Zero’s dull optics as it smashed into Serges raised arms. Something on the Maverick’s body armor allowed him to take such a blow without losing the limbs, and he flew back, plowing through a few mechaniloids in the process.</p><p>“Not today!” Signas shouted after him, and charged forward, a flickering storm of slashes ripping the mechaniloids in the lab apart.</p><p>Forced into the previous chamber, which was simply a rectangular chamber with various hydraulic doors around the sides, Serges braced, and a bubble of energy burst over his body before Signas tried to cut his head off his shoulders.</p><p>Undaunted, Signas continued to batter the shield in a vicious onslaught of slashes and stabs, strafing, jumping, and dashing around Serges from every angle to try and find a weak point in the bubble’s function.</p><p>Serges’ left arm snapped out, driving Signas’ sword-hand down into the ground. Before he could use the advantage, however, Serges took a room-shaking blow from Signas’ other fist. The Maverick slammed into one of the other hydraulic doors with a grunt</p><p>“Well, you seem to fight with a surprising amount of fervor for a dead commander you never met,” Serges taunted, flexing his shoulders with muffled hydraulic hissing.</p><p>Signas braced, saber straight and steady. “I know what you intend to unleash using his frame. That isn’t happening.”</p><p>“Are you sure about that? You might like the results yourself.”</p><p>“No,” Signas muttered, almost too himself. “I really wouldn’t.”</p><p>Serges wrenched one arm back, energy crackling over his hand. “Then get OUT OF THE WAY!”</p><p>His arm never snapped forward, however. The door behind him blew apart around a black gripper claw that seized his limb. Serges gawked down at it, Signas just starting to smirk faintly.</p><p>Serges was yanked <em>through</em> the door, across another, smaller, darker chamber, and thrown into the far wall hard enough to dent the armored bulkhead. Even his uniquely well-made body was stunned momentarily, and he shook his head free of the processing glitch it caused. His optics lifted, and his mood soured.</p><p>Dr. Cain rose up in his exo-suit, claw hands snapping in preparation. “I’m not letting you near him.”</p><p>“Such arrogance, human swine. There’s no need for you to ‘let’ anything!”</p><p>The Maverick’s body erupted with crackling energy, and he burst forward. Dr. Cain was rammed back through the doorway, and with enough force to catch even Signas before he could react. Both of them slammed into the opposite door, across the original room Signas had fought Serges in.</p><p>Serges leapt out into the room with them, but immediately started to run for Zero’s chamber again.</p><p>“Not so fast!”</p><p>The Maverick slammed into a wall of crackling energy, causing him to stumble back with a growl of fury.</p><p>Overload let his hand down from the wall at the far side of the room, stepping forward with Barrel and Tripwire at his sides.</p><p>“I mean, we’re a little late to the dance, but you don’t have to leave us by the wall like that, princess.”</p><p>More mechaniloids started to crawl down into the room from the ventilation shaft in the ceiling that had apparently been their original source. Serges lifted his hands, clawing them as energy crackled over his frame faintly. “You fools won’t stop it.”</p><p>“That remains to be seen,” Barrel retorted, and his, Tripwire’s, and Overload’s weapons all activated and hummed to life.</p><p>Signas and Dr. Cain were standing back up, starting to brace again.</p><p>Serges roared, and shot forward, a shockwave of power flying out of his body. Barrel fired a burning plasma shield, Overload an energy blast, and Tripwire let both claw-tendrils shoot out. Dr. Cain and Signas started to rip forward, all starting to collide in the center of the room.</p><p>The energies collided as metal struck, and the room filled with a deafening boom.</p><hr/><p>A sphere-lock door whirled and hissed before its inner hydraulics finally pulled it apart. X marched into the chamber awaiting him, his optics glancing around. Magna Centipede was at the far wall, operating a console as if nothing were out of the ordinary. His segmented tail was lifted, but lazily so, as if it simply preferred the elevated position of its bulbous form.</p><p>“You certainly demonstrated your agility, Megaman X,” Magna rasped, his voice a calm, faintly distorted rush. It was like a loud whisper.</p><p>Not wanting to be an aggressor, X kept his hands free, not activating his busters. “I appreciate the compliment. Magna Centipede, I presume?”</p><p>The Maverick turned around, still completely casual. “The same.” His optics were naturally sharp, and despite his easy manner, he exuded menace from his vaguely demonic frame.</p><p>“This was just a stall tactic, it seems,” X chose to continue, his head angling down.</p><p>Magna’s optics smirked over his armored faceplate. “Ah good, you’re as perceptive as I’d hoped. Indeed, it has been. However, you’re not necessary for our plans. I think I’ll remove you from the game now. Save the master some <em>time!</em>” he shouted abruptly as his hands snapped up and crossed, something flying out from him toward X.</p><p>X’s right-hand buster formed as he dove into a dash, twisting between two diamond-like devices that whistled in the strangest, echoing rhythm. His optics caught them curving around him, drawn to his armored frame like… “Magnetic mines then?”</p><p>Magna laughed as he dove and slide to his own left as X drew his buster forward. “They like you!” One hand swiped in a broad arc.</p><p>X folded backward from Magna as star-blades ripped through the air he’d occupied, burying themselves in the far bulkhead and one of the consoles of the control center. The two original mines, currently lodged in the floor and far wall finally exploded, shaking the room softly.</p><p>X fired a pulse blast, and watched Magna neatly fold out of its path, coming around with a one-two slice of his hands. They released a mine and trio of stars, the mine pulling the stars into a spiral pattern in its wake.</p><p>The attack was deceptively fast. X had to wrench himself down to his left, and watched one of the stars spark off his shoulder armor anyway. <em>It’s not just speed. His movement is almost hypnotic, hiding the force with the motion. Clever.</em></p><p>Another mine forced him to roll to one side, firing a few pulse-blasts that Magna similarly danced and wove around.</p><p>X shoved himself up, and ran toward Magna, energy building over his frame. Magna chuckled, and twisted into another sweep-throw of two mines. This time, however, X did a double-dash feint, throwing his weight one direction, pulling the mines with their magnetic draw on his frame, and then wrenched himself out of it, straight at Magna.</p><p>Buster out and aiming, X locked eyes with the Maverick, both expressions hardened by resolve. “I’m out of time, Magna!” he shouted as he fired.</p><p>Magna smirked again at the last second, and his body burst apart before anything hit him. X’s eyes flared, a gasp rushing from his respirator as he watched his plasma wave hit the air and far wall, a cloud of parts rushing down around him, and snapping together in his wake too fast for him to twist around.</p><p>X tried to wrench into a turn, his buster trailing more energy with the start of a fresh charge, his optics locking with Magna’s again over his shoulder, still widened with very real alarm. Magna was still smirking, and his tail snapped down, clamping around X’s waist from behind.</p><p>A shout of pain choked from X before he was yanked to his left, and slammed into the far wall with catastrophic force, the room shaking as the wall dented behind him.</p><p>X crumpled to his knees, wheezing, and looking up as Magna demonstrated his body bursting apart and reforming in a smooth wave.</p><p>“Intriguing, no? I’ve been working on this system for quite some time.” His body reconstructed closer to X this time, glaring down into his face. “Just for you!”</p><p>Mines were in his hands, and he brought them crashing toward X’s head.</p><hr/><p>Violen’s mace tore through a cloud of dust in the rubble, but Inferno caught it. The Maverick Hunter strained in voice and body alike, but held.</p><p>Just behind Inferno, Cadis and Blast Squirrel were rapidly firing at and taking cover from the army of hover-cycle mechaniloids just outside the fortress headquarters, swarming in circles between the defense wall and the edifice itself.</p><p>Violen roared, and yanked his mace back. It was fast enough to catch Inferno, and the Hunter fell flat with a grunt. Before the viral X-Hunter could take advantage, however, his mace halted behind him. Violen’s optics twitched, and he glared over his left shoulder.</p><p>Snapvice was looking right back at him, optics cold as death, his pincer-clamps locking the hydraulic arm of the mace down near the ground. “On your right.”</p><p>Violen was confused for a moment, then snapped his optics to his right just as Spikesaw’s burning arm-weapons crashed into his large arm. Sparks and metal burst, both Reploids yelling with fury. Violen stumbled aside, his right arm gushing hydraulics and sparking core energy from two deep cuts on the equivalent of the bicep.</p><p>Spikesaw twisted and stepped further into the X-Hunter, coming down with a one-two chop of his plasma saws.</p><p>Violen gave a mighty bellow, and yanked himself around to meet Spikesaw’s spin. The force he generated pulled Snapvice off the ground by his mace, and carried Violen out of the plasma-saws’ path.</p><p>Violen’s left fist came ramming through, and caught Spikesaw in the faceplate. Spikesaw was sent hurtling back into the lobby with a shout, while Snapvice flew over the chunks debris serving as cover for Blast Squirrel and Cadis.</p><p>Inferno shoulder-rammed Violen deeper into the lobby that instant, and Cadis rose up, flicking her plasma rifle to full-auto, and unloading a suppressing sweep of the courtyard as Blast Squirrel dove out, grabbed Snapvice, and helped yank their comrade back behind cover.</p><p>When she could duck again, Cadis shouted across to Blast Squirrel and Snapvice as they recovered, “We need to get him OUT of the building, not push him into it!”</p><p>A mechaniloid suddenly appeared over her head, climbing over her cover barricade. She snapped her rifle up flawlessly, but never had to fire. Snapvice’s claw had shattered the mechaniloid’s head.</p><p>“We’re trying!” was all he said as he started into the building again to assist Inferno and Spikesaw.</p><p>“That came out a little harsher than I meant,” Cadis muttered to Blast Squirrel.</p><p>The other Reploid chuckled. “It’s fine, just focus on blasting these mechaniloids so we don’t get swarmed.”</p><p>Inside, Inferno had shoved Violen further back to buy time, and allow himself to dodge the inward swing of the mace. He answered with a double-buster flame-blast straight at Violen’s face, but the viral X-Hunter charged <em>through</em> the fire, snarling and ramming his hands forward to unleash a fresh barrage of plasma bolts.</p><p>Spikesaw rushed up from the left, and rammed Violen’s left arm up and away with an upper-cut saw-swipe. Snapvice joined in from the right, clamping the right arm and trying to yank it down.</p><p>“Not enough!” Violen shouted, his mace arcing up, over, and rushing down at Inferno’s head.</p><p>And there it stopped. A surreal moment paused the chamber as all four Reploids focused in confusion on the perfectly halted mace, hovering just centimeters away from Inferno’s cranial plating.</p><p>Calm footfalls sounded from behind Violen, a dry voice ringing out, “Honestly, all that time, and you didn’t catch it?”</p><p>The other Maverick Hunters focused on Shimmer as he appeared out of the air, his body sauntering forward as if it were the most casual thing in the world.</p><p>“Or did you think professional Maverick Hunters weren’t just keeping you busy and not running amok through the facility?” Shimmer added.</p><p>Violen glared over his shoulder at the relatively tiny Reploid. “What the slag are you going on about?!”</p><p>Shimmer just pointed up.</p><p>Metal chords shimmered into view, filling the chamber in a crisscrossing network. The mace’s mechanical arm was bound up like a ball of yarn from all of its swinging around.</p><p>Then the chords crackled with power, and Violen cried out as his body surged with dangerous level of energy.</p><p>“Spikesaw, cut the chord over your left shoulder,” Shimmer calmly listed off.</p><p>Spikesaw glanced at Inferno, sharing some mild humor, and then quickly twisted and sliced the chord he’d been instructed to sever.</p><p>As soon as he did, the chords started to writhe and coil through themselves like a pulley system gone mad, hissing and snapping like living beings. Violen gave a building, almost comical shout, as he was yanked by his own mace through the air, carried through the entire lobby, and sent flying over Blast Squirrel and Cadis’ heads. The chords flew free, trailing after him from the only-then-appearing hydraulic pulleys and hooks across the entire ceiling of the lobby.</p><p>Cadis and Blast Squirrel gawked as Violen’s own body tore through an entire rank of mechaniloids, breaking their formations, and causing instant confusion in the simpler robots’ minds.</p><p>“I was wondering when in Light’s name you were going to join in,” Inferno grumbled at his smaller comrade.</p><p>Shimmer smiled, and just marched past him, Inferno, Snapvice, and Spikesaw falling into his wake as they joined Blast Squirrel and Cadis at the entrance. All six of them trained their weapons on Violen as he started to stand up, his mace weighed down by the mass of metal chords, his arm still sparking.</p><p>Clearly savoring Violen’s frustration, Shimmer half-smiled again, and added, “Your move.”</p><hr/><p>Agile, Turbo, and Quickman were a storm in the center of the computer center. Where Agile swiped and slashed, Quickman leaned aside, and Turbo folded or twisted. Where Quickman’s boomerang cutter sang, Agile pitched out of its path, and where Turbo’s plasma-burning fists rammed, Agile weaved.</p><p>Quickman hopped into a twist past Agile’s front, catching his cutter from a throw, and finally landed a blind back-kick into Agile’s chest. Agile stumbled, glaring at Quickman’s back, but took a barrage of punches from Turbo in that instant, the Maverick Hunter leaned and folded under Agile’s own arm.</p><p>As Agile fell away from the flurry attack, Turbo twisted, seeming to come around with a back-hand, but his flat hand never tried to connect. Instead, it unleashed a cutting, blue-white wave of energy that Agile barely folded beneath in time. The blade sliced a two-way-screen in half and scored a thin hole in the far bulkhead.</p><p>“Ey! Watch the merchandise, kid!” Quickman immediately chided him, half-joking.</p><p>“Watch your plates, first!” Agile seethed, blurring between the pair as he spiral-sliced with his entire body.</p><p>Both Quickman and Turbo shouted leaping away, but each took a cut from the attack. Quickman’s chest-plate was leaking hydraulics, his optics twitching, and Turbo’s forearm was sparking along its weapon system.</p><p>Agile was already shooting past them, rushing the door to the command center yet again. A tornado-blast and two torpedoes arced over his head and slammed into the flooring just below him. The Maverick was forced to stumble back, and glanced to the door he’d cut through to reach the room.</p><p>Depthcharge and Airstrike were braced on either side of the opening, weapons still primed.</p><p>“Feet again!”</p><p>Agile’s optics widened, and he looked down behind himself. Deepfreeze was sliding past him, leaving a trail of frozen flooring as he did. Agile’s boot slid instead of driving him into a full dash-leap for the door of the command center.</p><p>Tucking and rolling forward with his attempted momentum, Agile started to rise up, blindly slashing behind himself to unleash a purple-pink plasma-wave across the chamber.</p><p>This time, Quickman flickered to the center of the wave-slice.</p><p>Turbo’s optics widened as he saw it. <em>That level of speed…</em></p><p>Quickman’s face was dark and focused as he gave a guttural, digitally distorted roar, wrenching his cutter down with his left arm, cleaving into the plasma-wave. He actually cut it in half, and the plasma field was intended to remain cohesive to function. So disrupted, it burst apart into almost harmless static in the air.</p><p>It left Quickman, still lunged into his slice, steaming, his optics sharp and focused on Agile’s back.</p><p>Agile glanced back in that core-pulse, infuriated by the defeat of his attack, but he kept going.</p><p>Then he halted, jerking out of his own momentum. He twitched, staring down at the frozen crystals locking his left boot to the ground.</p><p>Deepfreeze was crouched there, smirking up at him. “You never look down, do you?”</p><p>“You little--!?”</p><p>“Down in front!”</p><p>The new voice pulled Agile’s alerted optics in front of himself again.</p><p>Pyrostrike was there, rising up with flames pouring down over his right fist, more blasting out of the soles of his armored boots as he roared, tearing up into the air.</p><p>The empowered uppercut snapped Agile free of the ice, and sent him crashing to his back, his face burned on the chin, and scorched up the left cheek.</p><p>Pyrostrike dropped down to a crouch after his spin from his uppercut.</p><p>Agile rolled onto his feet from the backward crash, and glowered up at the Maverick Hunter ahead of him. The others were bracing, weapons ready.</p><p>“And here I was hoping to save this for a surprise,” Agile whispered, and suddenly yanked his sword up, inverted it, and stabbed it straight into the ground.</p><p>Every hunter in the room started to rush or fire at him, but they couldn’t beat the surge of energy that filled the chamber’s floor, walls, and ceiling from his stab-attack.</p><p>Then the surge stopped, and Agile looked at the floor, troubled. Quickman and the others were still writhing on the flooring, badly stunned by the attack, but it was stopped.</p><p>Agile growled, and then ran forward, flickering across the room, lunging over Pyrostrike’s prone body, and slicing into the command-center door.</p><p>In that core-pulse, the door’s remains slid apart, and Agile’s optics snapped into focus on the crimson buster that was fully primed and glowing in his face.</p><p>Alia, legs braced, hand supporting her buster-arm, and optics locked with deadly focus was glaring down her weapon-arm at the X-Hunter, nearly point-blank.</p><p>“Stand down,” she ordered coldly, Dex working the console in the command center with other operators behind her.</p><p>Agile hissed, starting to rise up, swinging his sword into her arm.</p><p>Alia fired instantly, her arm pulsing back as a ring-wave of searing white energy flew out, and a bolt of plasma rammed into Agile’s chest. As her hair rippled back, he crashed away, falling back over Pyrostrike, who was rising up with the others in recovery at last.</p><p>Agile rolled onto his feet, clutching his chest, and started to sprint to his right, fleeing the room. His sword snapped and flickered into the onslaught of attacks from the Hunters that same instant.</p><p>Alia ran forward and strafed along the side of the room, her buster firing sharp, steady blasts, some forced to plow through the two-way screens, but every one was precise. Agile had to specifically slice the bolts apart with his sword. He finally unleashed a blast of energy from his body, scattering Airstrike and Depthcharge’s last attacks just as he dove between them at the door.</p><p>Both of them tried to twist and grab him, but he carried himself fast enough to just get out of their grasp in time.</p><p>“Dex has command, get that Maverick out of the building!” Alia shouted, sprinting across the room.</p><p>“Yes, ma’am!” the team chorused, rushing up with her.</p><p>Quickman and Turbo blurred ahead, flowing around Alia, Airstrike, and Depthcharge, Deepfreeze and Pyrostrike rapidly catching up to the others.</p><hr/><p>Smoke and debris filled the room outside Dr. Cain’s private lab. Dr. Cain himself grunted as his suit hit a wall with its back, and he tried to look through the cloud to see where Serges was. Something made the cloud suddenly burst apart, revealing an astonishing sight.</p><p>Signas was just ramming his saber into Serge’s forearm again that moment, the raw force and back-surge of the energies between the weapon and Serge’s shield driving the smoke and debris away. It revealed Tripwire, Overload, and Barrel picking themselves up against the walls just like Dr. Cain from the initial explosive conflict.</p><p>“You won’t jeopardize the reunification!” Serges spat at Signas.</p><p>Signas’ optics sharpened. “Is that what you call it?”</p><p>Serges wrenched around, his free arm swiping without a weapon… as an energy whip formed out of the crackling power between his fingers, rushing down at Signas’ frame.</p><p>Signas yanked his shoulder out of the weapon’s path, but both he and Serges stopped short when Serges was caught by the weapon further on.</p><p>Overload was behind Signas, his hands clamped onto the crackling energy weapon, surging with power, but unharmed. “It’ll take more than that, Maverick.”</p><p>Serges’ face twisted worse than usual, and he tried to ram a kick in at Signas, the one he could reach still. His leg halted prematurely, and he glanced back to see Tripwire braced back, crouched, one tendril-chord out and tied around Serge’s ankle.</p><p>Barrel was spinning around and firing off plasma shields, blowing the mechaniloids apart as they tried to pour down into the room in fresh ranks.</p><p>“NO!” Serges cried out, seeming sincerely desperate. He released the plasma whip, ramming his fist down at Signas.</p><p>Signas almost calmly deflected the punch with an elbow, and swiped with his blade, forcing Serges to duck under it.</p><p>Serges gripped the tendril-chord at his ankle, kicked Signas in the stomach with his free leg, and sent a surge of power down the tendril with his hands.</p><p>Tripwire shouted, forced to release by the shock to his system, and Signas stumbled back. Overload was charging through to make up for the gap, but took a ram from a full-body shield that Serges unleashed the next moment.</p><p>A plasma-shield then slammed into Serges’ shoulder, twisting the Maverick around to face Barrel, who was calmly staring him down from the other side of the room.</p><p>“Made ya look.”</p><p>Serges gawked before a black claw grabbed his neck, and slammed him down into the flooring.</p><p>Dr. Cain pressed down with all the force his suit could muster. “What is the reunification? TELL ME!?”</p><p>Serges started to chuckle darkly, twisting his head enough to look back at Dr. Cain with one optic. “It torments you, doesn’t it? This ‘maverick problem’? Knowing that for all your work, all you’ve done is damn your entire species to a slow extinction by Reploids!”</p><p>Dr. Cain shivered with anger, the claw clenching. “TELL ME!”</p><p>“NO!” Serges roared back, and his hands reached back, gripping the suit’s arm.</p><p>A surge of energy erupted, and Dr. Cain cried out in pain.</p><p>Serges rose up as Dr. Cain collapsed, continuing to shock him with his power. “Die, human. DIE LIKE ALL YOUR KIND WILL!”</p><p>Signas was there. He cut Dr. Cain’s exo-suit arm clean through with one downward slice, freeing the man to fall back and recover. In the same gesture, Signas twisted, and slashed Serges across the chest plate, sending the Maverick flying back past Barrel, into the opposite door.</p><p>“Sorry about the suit, Doctor,” Signas said calmly, not looking back yet.</p><p>Dr. Cain groaned, starting to stand up. “Thank you for saving my life, Signas,” he chose to reply.</p><p>Serges growled up at the Maverick Hunters closing in on him, and then flash-melted the door with his plasma-shield over his body, starting to retreat down the hall.</p><p>“After him!” Dr. Cain ordered.</p><p>They gave chase.</p><hr/><p>X’s expression constricted from shock to focus, and he yanked himself just under Magna’s two-mine smash attack. With a thruster blast of his boots, X was past Magna, between the Maverick’s legs, and rolled over as he skidded back, firing a few pulse blasts.</p><p>Magna let the mines explode as he sneered over his shoulder and burst apart for a fresh teleport.</p><p>Growling, X rolled over himself, firing backward just as Magna formed there. The Maverick simply scattered again, and X started sprinting to one side as mines and stars came hurtling in at him from odd angles, the Maverick bursting all over the room.</p><p><em>Maybe I could counter the magnetics with Overdrive’s electric charge?</em> X jerked back from a fresh mine swipe, and dove to one side, rolling away from a few star-blades that lodged in the ground in his wake.</p><p>His colors flipped to off-yellow and gold highlights, and he fired a few electric bursts toward Magna. The Maverick laughed as he burst through the discharge, his pieces arcing with energy, but not affected otherwise.</p><p>“Such an adorable attempt!” Magna Centipede announced as he collected together in X’s wake.</p><p>“Nevermind!” X chose to snap back, burst-dashing to the side to avoid two downward mines that blew up where his feet had occupied.</p><p>Watching Magna burst apart over his shoulder, X’s eyes widened with realization. A memory of his battle with Morph Moth flashed through his processor, watching the churning waves of metal fly into the tiny spider-body.</p><p>His colors flipped to browns and pale overlays, and he burst-dashed to one side as Magna reappeared in front of him, stars flying out. X, still diving aside, aimed down his side, his buster revealing a strange, faceted barrel with a building, mechanical hum.</p><p>Magna sneered and started to burst apart, but X’s buster made a rushing sound, and the Maverick’s optics flared as his body gave an awkward jerk instead of bursting apart. “What the—!?”</p><p>He was wrenched around by X’s yank, the Hunter rising up and pulling his buster-arm with his free hand to add more torque. Magna finally saw the subtle shimmers in the air between them, the monofilaments connected to almost every part of his body and X’s buster.</p><p>“Morph’s silk shot?!” the Maverick realized in frustrated dismay just as he was swung fully around and slammed into the wall.</p><p>Magna growled, trying to stand up, but X was on him the next moment. The Hunter’s right buster was back, whirring, and he swung it through as if he was going to punch Magna with the barrel. Magna yanked his head back, but then watched X’s buster rip together chunks of loosened wall on the far end of the swing, then surge backward. A junk-aided back-hand slapped Magna down to the ground as pieces of metal flew apart.</p><p>X twisted into a Ferris-wheel with his arms, slamming debris snap-collected by his busters down into Magna’s frame in an onslaught. Magna reeled, slumped against the wall, and X stopped, busters up and holding more chunks of metal, but not swinging.</p><p>“Stand down,” X rasped, his body still damaged from the earlier slam to the wall, his voice distorted.</p><p>Magna chuckled. “Always trying to end things peacefully after clearing the field, Megaman X? Doesn’t ring very true with weapons still ready in your hands.”</p><p>X’s eyes tightened, but he didn’t ease. “If I could risk it, I would lower my weapons. Deactivate this facility right now, surrender, and you will not be harmed further. You will be taken into custody.”</p><p>“Are you sure you can promise that?”</p><p>“I’ll make sure it is followed if there is any cause for doubt,” X persisted.</p><p>Magna Centipede surged upward, a mine in his left hand, sweeping up in a back-hand attack. X simply reacted faster, slamming both chunks of debris across the Maverick’s head, and drew one buster back across the mine as Magna tried to continue his attack blind. Silk shot ripped the mine into Magna’s own head, and X planted a boot to the Maverick’s stomach. With a kick-shove and boost, X flew back as the mine exploded.</p><p>Rolling back to his knees, X looked up tensely as Magna’s nearly headless body crashed down and slammed flat on the floor.</p><p>“Sorry,” he whispered, closing his eyes for a moment. His colors and busters reverted, and he ran over to Magna’s body.</p><p>With the codes from Magna’s system, he ran to the main control console. It had survived enough to let him shut down the jamming, but as it did so, he realized half the facilities systems were inaccessible to him with the room so trashed by the fight. “Great. Well… the power levels are dropping back down to normal.”</p><p>The jamming fully ended, and a wave of comm traffic alerted him to the disaster at headquarters.</p><p>“So that was the trick!” X growled, his body washing over with teleportation light. He vanished from the chamber in a quick burst of blue power.</p><hr/><p>Violen tumbled back from a fresh volley of blasts from Inferno, Shimmer, Cadis, Blast Squirrel, Snapvice, and Spikesaw, the last two firing light, rapid-fire plasma weapons from the top sides of their wrists. Mechaniloids were blowing up all around the viral X-Hunter, more so as defense cannons aimed by other Maverick Hunters fired down from the walls of the fortress.</p><p>“This isn’t over yet!” Violen roared, manually lifting his mace with both hands, swinging it, chords and all, into a volley of attacks to destroy them before they could hit his frame.</p><p>From above, a wall burst open, and Agile came diving out, swirling around and unleashing wave-slices at the emplacements that tried to shoot him down. As he came flipping down to land heavily near Violen, clutching his damage chest-plate, Pyrostrike, Quickman, and Turbo came flying out after him, skating down the side of the fortress.</p><p>“Move forward!” Inferno ordered, his group pressing out into the courtyard.</p><p>“What’s the situation?” Violen growled at Agile as they deflected the endless rivers of attacks.</p><p>“What does it look like?” Agile snapped.</p><p>Another blast from above caused everyone to focus for a moment. Serges was flying out this time.</p><p>As Serges landed, flaring a shield over himself and his comrades, Alia, Dr. Cain, and Signas led the rest of the teams that had fought off the X-Hunters up around Inferno and his team. They all had weapons braced and ready.</p><p>Dr. Cain spoke over a public comm system next, his suit’s surviving arm transfigured into a plasma cannon. “Stand down or be destroyed for endangering lives!”</p><p>Serges seethed, Violen and Agile watching him warily. “No! Human, you stand down! Stand down, or your precious Maverick Hunters will be obliterated!” And then he pointed skyward.</p><p>The combined Maverick Hunters looked up cautiously, and saw an airship descending through the cloud cover, large cannons already aimed and primed at the base.</p><p>“You wouldn’t risk damage to Zero’s parts!” Dr. Cain shouted back.</p><p>“I’ll rebuild them!” Serges snapped back. “What you have represents a shortcut! Nothing more, nothing less!”</p><p>Shimmer tightened his optics at the craft floating over them. “Our own airships are deployed to the island. We don’t have the air-support to take that thing down.”</p><p>Airstrike, now with them at the courtyard, added, “And just getting to it would give it enough time to blow half the city to kingdom come.”</p><p>A voice came over the comms abruptly.</p><p>“Serges, if that ship was really your fall-back position, you shouldn’t have left its commands codes on the computer facility’s mainframe.”</p><p>Alia started to smile at X’s voice, both calm and focused.</p><p>A blue beam of light ripped down, splashing out and revealing Megaman X between the viral X-Hunters and the Maverick Hunters. “I had Dex transmit the command codes about ten seconds ago.”</p><p>Serges gawked, and then looked up. The ship was moaning softly as the guns deactivated, and it settled into stasis hovering.</p><p>That was when X formed his busters, and aimed them. “Retreat or stand down. This isn’t playing out any other way.”</p><p>Serges was shivering with frustration. Violen finally touched his shoulder. “Unless you have a plan C, we should be leaving.”</p><p>Serges glared at his comrade over his shoulder, but then nodded, and let Agile and Violen shimmer and burst into teleportation fields. “This round is yours, Megaman X. See you soon.”</p><p>And he shimmered away himself.</p><p>X let his busters deactivate, and he turned to the assembled, true X-Hunters and allies. “Sorry I’m late, everyone.”</p><p>Dr. Cain just sagged with relief as a cheer rang through Maverick Hunter headquarters. Signas deactivated his saber, and chuckled, calling over, “I’d say that did the trick.”</p><p>X moved up to join them. “I’ll help get clean-up started. You all need some repairs and charging, I imagine?” He made sure to include Cadis in his welcoming smile. She gave him a playful but sincere salute.</p><p>Alia let her buster deactivate, and she waved into the building. “I’ll help organize clean up, too. The rest of you, get to some repair chambers, alright?”</p><p>“Yes, ma’am!” most of them playfully chorused.</p><hr/><p>Later that night, clean-up was well under way. Quickman, repaired, was in the command center. He’d stepped in from overseeing repairs to the computer terminals ruined by the fight with Agile.</p><p>Dex was still busily working on the consoles along with Alia, both repairing and coordinating repair work.</p><p>“Dex?”</p><p>The operator blinked, and looked back at Quickman. “Oh, yes, sir?”</p><p>Quickman chuckled. “Technically you outrank me, ‘sir’.”</p><p>Dex shared the humor, but focused back on his console. “Sorry, but I’m also not big on being in command. Can I help you? Any issues with the consoles out there?”</p><p>“It’s going smoothly. Just checking in with you, in fact. You saved our plates with that quick code transmission to the airship,” Quickman explained lightly.</p><p>Dex did finally chuckle outright. “X did all of the work for that, I just forwarded the data. That does remind me, though. I’m sorry it took me so long to stop that surge Agile sent through the operation chamber back there. It took me too long to figure out how it was triggering our systems. I know that must’ve hurt.”</p><p>Quickman blinked his optics, Alia privately glancing over at them with a half-smile as she overheard.</p><p>“You’re the one that stopped the surge he was using?”</p><p>Dex nodded. “Way too late for it to help, of course. It was rather ingeniously using our safety system’s overload protection and circuit breakers to feedback loop and discharge violently. I had to basically work it all backward and LET the system overload to stop the discharge. I need to be faster with the outside-the-box thinking.”</p><p>Quickman patted Dex’s shoulder. “Ey, kid, it wasn’t too late, and catching something like that as fast as you did is quite impressive. Thanks for saving our hides twice, then.”</p><p>Dex scratched the back of his helmet anxiously, turning enough to look at Quickman again. “O-oh, well I’m glad then. Thanks, Quickman.”</p><p>Quickman bumped his shoulder, turning away. He lightly added, “Top marks, kid.”</p><p>He didn’t see Dex’s optics flare and stare at his back for the remark. Alia did, however, and she paused, glancing over. Quickman was already out of the room. “…Dex? You okay?”</p><p>Dex took a long moment to collect himself, and then looked across at her. “Y-yes. Sorry. I just… felt like I heard a ghost.”</p><p>Alia tilted her head. “What do you mean?”</p><p>Dex shook his. “Nothing, really. Just… a reminder of something.” He turned back to his console, starting to work again.</p><p>Alia watched him for a moment. <em>He really seems spooked. Quickman didn’t say anything alarming that I heard… hm.</em> She noted the experience, but focused back on her own tasks. There was a great deal to repair, and even with Reploids not needing sleep, it would take a while.</p><hr/><p>In digital space, Magna Centipede blinked, jerking back to gather his senses. “This is…? Why did you do this?” he asked, focusing as X’s presence became clear in the digital mindscape.</p><p>“Because I know about the virus, Magna. I’m sorry about the fight. You were a little too good for me to be less than brutal. I don’t like being that vicious.”</p><p>Magna stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. “Not something I can blame you for, X. If you know about the virus, why aren’t the Maverick Hunters acting on that information?”</p><p>X tipped his head. “The most important question, yes. I’d like to run an idea by you.”</p><p>“You’ve got my attention.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Out of Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The X-Hunter bunker was dimmer than when Alia had visited it. A substantial amount of the light was flickering from the dancing sources of two beam-sabers. Signas twist-flipped and slashed wide, forcing X to fold and roll away. X wielded a clean-white saber, held in an inverted grip in his left hand.</p><p>Rising with a fresh twist, X back-slashed at Signas’ middle, and the officer gave a faint chuckle as he somehow halved his frame at the waist. For his relative bulk, it was an astonishingly adroit reverse hop. It let X’s blade sizzle the dust in the air just near his flank.</p><p>“You learn very quickly, X. Especially with such a complicated style you’ve chosen for yourself.”</p><p>X braced, blade-hand aimed forward. “I suspect most of Dr. Light’s work went into my adaptation protocols.”</p><p>“Time well spent then. What information did we get from Magna?”</p><p>The two continued to spar as they spoke, beam sabers roaring and sparking.</p><p>“He wasn’t let in on a lot of the details,” another strike, “but he knew the power drain and spike we saw was for something massive.”</p><p>“With how closely they play their cards,” Signas ducked a swipe from X, “to their chest, I’d say these,” another blade collision, “X-Hunters were assuming you’d defeat their Mavericks.”</p><p>X flipped back to dodge a downward swipe. “Possibly, but it’s more likely they just didn’t consider their enslaved servants valuable enough to include in their process.”</p><p>The two swords crashed together once more, the pair locking gazes over them.</p><p>“So you’re seeking deployment back to the facility?” Signas asked, his voice faintly tensed by effort.</p><p>“Exactly. I just need to check in at headquarters first,” X responded.</p><p>Signas eased back, his saber extinguishing with a soft intensification of its hum. X deactivated his own, rising up with a nod of appreciation to the other Reploid.</p><p>“There’s a small gap in production lines at the moment. To avoid raising suspicion, we’ll have to keep Magna in stasis a little longer,” Signas explained as X started to move away.</p><p>“Understood. Thanks again, Signas.”</p><p>Signas watched X leave the bunker, and his optics tightened. <em>I trust X, especially after all he’s gone through, but his ability to adapt and fight is terrifying. If he ever did get infected…</em> Signas rubbed his brow, frowning at the ground. “Let’s handle that nightmare, if it happens, not before.”</p><hr/><p>“Ah, X, you made it! Thanks!” Alia called over from her console.</p><p>X was just striding through the door of the lab Alia had commandeered during her recovery from losing her arm. “No problem, Alia. What’s going on? You messaged me pretty much as soon as I ported in,” he finished with a light laugh.</p><p>Alia gestured up at her largest screen as he came around to her side. “My emergency stasis system is already being implemented! Virtually every Reploid should have the upgrade installed within the year!”</p><p>X raised his eyebrows up at the screen, sincerely astonished. “Great work, Alia. When you get your mind set on something, I’m not sure anyone could stop you.”</p><p>Alia bashfully shrugged. “Well… certain people seem to be able to stonewall me better than others.”</p><p>They shared a dry side-long smile.</p><p>“I’m still concerned about the computer facility. Are you certain nothing odd has been noticed there?”</p><p>Switching mental gears, Alia brought up a few displays, clearly showing map data for the computer facility where X had fought Magna Centipede. “Truthfully, no, but we can barely analyze the facility. A lot of it was built with special metallic compounds that baffle sensor feedback. The place is quiet as a stone right now, but I can’t dismiss your concern. There’s just too much unknown.”</p><p>X crossed his arms, nodding at the data she’d pulled up. “Thanks. I’m going to talk to Dr. Cain. I think that facility is still part of this mess.”</p><p>Alia gave a playful but proper salute. “Aye, sir.”</p><p>He returned it. “Carry on, lieutenant.”</p><p>Alia let her smile linger as he left the room, and focused back on her work.</p><hr/><p>“I understand your concern, X, and I share it, but we still have a far more imminent threat on the table,” Dr. Cain replied with gentle exasperation in his voice, both hands resting on his cane in front of his chair.</p><p>X leaned onto the human’s desk. “Crystal Snail hasn’t moved from that facility once in this entire Maverick outbreak. I’m not dismissing him, but that computer facility has too much going on.”</p><p>Dr. Cain firmed his manner, his wrinkled face hardening. “Maverick Hunter X, I’m ordering you to deploy to the crystal mines, pending proper intelligence gathering by our operators. When Crystal Snail is detained or deactivated, I will send you to the computer facility myself.”</p><p>X’s brow creased, but he stood up, gave a faint nod, and then sharply turned, marching out of the room.</p><p>Dr. Cain sighed, his frame deflating once the doors sealed shut. Turning his chair, his back wall opened, revealing the recently repaired lab where Zero’s all-but-complete body was resting. “Think you could wrangle him any better for me?”</p><hr/><p>Quickman opened a door in one of the lower levels of Maverick Hunter Headquarters, and blinked his optics at Dex. Neither seemed surprised to see the other, though they had no reason to expect each other in such a random location.</p><p>“Dex, something wrong?” Quickman started when the other just stared without speaking.</p><p>Dex gestured behind himself faintly. “Can we talk? Privately?”</p><p>Quickman quirked an optic ridge, but tipped his head.</p><p>A moment later, they were inside a simple meeting chamber, empty and dimly lit.</p><p>“I’ve been doing some personal research into a matter of concern,” Dex began calmly. “For such a new recruit, your scores and record are flawless, even off the charts in certain live-field monitor recordings we’ve made.”</p><p>Quickman’s optics slowly tightened.</p><p>Dex went on, “Your talent for combat is undisputable, but I realized something the last time you were in action.”</p><p>“Oh?”</p><p>“I’ve seen your techniques before. Once.”</p><p>There was a poignant pause.</p><p>Quickman exhaled slowly, tilting his head down, and rubbed his metallic chin with soft scraping sounds. “And here I thought I was one of a kind. Where’d you see my style before, kid?”</p><p>Dex didn’t hesitate this time. “Boom Kuwanger.”</p><p>Their optics locked, and there was another loud silence.</p><p>Quickman’s frame eased, seeming tired, and his head angled back, the optics looking down into Dex’s with a mixture of resignation and exhaustion. “Do you think I’m here to harm innocents, Dex?”</p><p>Dex’s optics slanted, appraising. After a moment, he shook his head. “No… I don’t.”</p><p>“Does anything more need to be said?”</p><p>“I suppose not. For now, at least.”</p><p>Quickman tipped his head. “Permission to depart, sir?”</p><p>“Granted…” Dex managed quietly, awkward with the official ranks brought into play.</p><p>Alone in the hallway, Quickman sighed, rubbing the back of his helmet. <em>Kid’s just too damn smart…</em></p><hr/><p>X warped down into the starting chamber of the crystal mine once again. With his previous experience, he was able to dash into the next hall and guide his body through an almost elegant series of pirouettes, dives, lunges, and spins that carried him out of the paths of the crystal-cannons.</p><p>His optics dilated as his new sensors revved to max. His previous path through the mine became a holographic overlay, as well as his memories of the crystal emplacements and tunnels. He quickly discovered that the mine had been modified from his last infiltration, however.</p><p>A faint shout escaped his lips as he folded backward, sliding under a pearlescent bolt from one of the new crystal turrets just before the large drop into the mining facilities further down. “Crystal Snail’s no slouch, I see,” he muttered, sliding down and leaping from wall to wall to avoid fresh volleys of ricocheting pearl-light bolts.</p><p>Chain-claw swinging over a spike-pit, X landed in front of a mech suit. “I think I’ll borrow you this time!” With a hand-flip, he was over the ridge of the control module, and in the cockpit. After he gave the spiked ‘hands’ a test spin, he brought the mech around, and firmed. “Let’s say hello.”</p><p>The mech ripped forward with its back hover-jets flaring. The left spike-ram fist pulled back, whirling into a frenzy, and he lunged into a wall of crystal blocks, shattering them to pieces. With each lunging strike, he was driving deeper into the mine, obliterating the piles of obstacles that had been added since his last visit.</p><p>“Sorry Crystal Snail, but I’m out of time.”</p><p>He grimaced as he punched through a final crystal block, the shards flying around his head as he accelerated further on.</p><hr/><p>X was forced to abandon the mech once he passed the part of the mine where he’d recovered his new helmet. Leaping between a fresh set of crystal-turrets, he dropped into a larger chamber carved out of the walls, simply with doors added to the center of the two opposite sides. He was most of the way across when the doors slammed shut, and a chunk of crystal several times his own size came hurtling down from the ceiling.</p><p>With a quick shout and thruster boost, X wrenched backward, and watched the crystal slam down into the floor, settling at a faint angle.</p><p>There was a mechaniloid ‘eye’ in the crystal, and its red iris flashed to life as it focused on him quite specifically.</p><p>“Megaman X,” Crystal Snail’s voice rang out. “So good of you to come. It took you so long I assumed you were running other errands these days. Consider this a ‘don’t be late’ castigation.”</p><p>X’s eyes narrowed at the iris just before it unleashed a globule of glistening plasma through its own crystal somehow. He dove aside, but watched the globule bounce off the wall and ricochet without losing any potency.</p><p>As it bounced a second time, the iris fired a fresh blob at him. X dash-swept around it, then hand-flipped and side-flipped through the two bouncing off the walls again.</p><p>With his new sensors active, he had a better idea of what was going on.</p><p>
  <em>The crystal around that thing is just a modified suit of armor. It’s porous. He has the plasma emitter matched to a frequency that lets the energy bleed through, then release, and that same behavior lets it bounce off the crystal in the walls. Clever. I see why Snail was in charge.</em>
</p><p>X’s colors snapped to green hues, and his busters both contorted into plasma-saw emitters. With another series of hops and dives, he got to the crystal around the iris, and did a full-body leap over it, swiping down with his arms at the crest of his jump.</p><p>Four different plasma saws started to eat into the crystal, slowly grinding down in a spiral of biting persistence. At the same time, X had to immediately back-flip and twist to avoid the now five bouncing globules of plasma the iris had emitted while he danced about.</p><p>At last, the four saws hit the ground, burning themselves out, and the iris-crystal started to crash apart. The iris inside was torn to pieces by the collapse, and the plasma globules petered out as their generator faded.</p><p>X’s colors flashed to red, and he focused on the opposite door.</p><hr/><p>Gouts of flame churned past the blast door, letting it crash down into the next hallway with glowing-hot edges. X came flying out over the fallen obstacle, and landed into a fresh dash as his colors reverted.</p><p>He leapt up onto a smooth crystal surface, then jerked to brace himself as it lurched beneath him. The massive chunk was sliding down a ramp all the way to a deep pit further down.</p><p>“Of course,” he muttered sourly, his optics and sensors quickly taking in the rushing surroundings. His new sensors confirmed he had enough velocity from this rushing crystal to simply leap the chasm it was trying to smash him down into.</p><p>Just as the chunk he was riding slammed into the bottom of the ramp, starting to fracture and burst around him, X leapt free, and soared over the gap. He crashed into a quick roll, now in a fresh hallway with more crystal-turrets.</p><p>With a quick charge and expense of power, X was camouflaged with Sting Chameleon’s old weapon, and he tore through the next few halls in a few seconds.</p><p>He was idly amused when a few bat mechaniloids swept down to chew on his armor.</p><p>“I haven’t seen you guys since Armor Armadillo’s mine…”</p><p>A few quick pulse-blasts left them all raining down in pieces.</p><p>With a little shake of his head, X leapt further along, and climbed the ladder waiting at the end of the current passage.</p><p>He paused at the top, seeing the sphere-lock door waiting for him. He deactivated his busters, and walked toward the door. Unsurprisingly, it opened for him. “…Time for a real introduction then.”</p><hr/><p>Crystal Snail was still working at his large console as the wall behind him opened, and let Megaman X drop down to his level. The Maverick adjusted a few controls, and then spoke without turning, “Did you like the crystal turret? I was rather proud of that plasma generator.”</p><p>X had to smile faintly. “It certainly was clever, Crystal Snail. I almost felt bad for tearing it apart.”</p><p>“Well, it was trying to kill you. I can only be so affronted.”</p><p>“I said ‘almost.’”</p><p>Crystal Snail actually chuckled. Turning around, his large armored shell forcing him to step a bit away from his console, the elder-designed Reploid fixed X with a calm stare. It let X see his optics, and X’s own gaze tightened. The haze of infection was there, but it was muted, subtle.</p><p>“You’re fighting the infection like Overdrive did.”</p><p>Crystal Snail smiled faintly, his long whiskers curling at the air on either side of him. “I bought some time for each of us once I realized the problem. Not enough, sadly. I have information for you. Once I deliver it, I will attack you.”</p><p>X tensed faintly, confused for a moment.</p><p>The Maverick went on, “The real danger is in the North Pole. The ‘X-Hunters’ have built a massive base of operations there, using this island’s resources. The geothermal plant melted a hole in the ice, the submarines delivered the materials, and the weather control facility kept the ice from melting on top of the facility while it was built. The other resources were mainly poured into distracting your forces.”</p><p>Crystal Snail’s head started to shiver faintly, his optics clenching.</p><p>X eased forward a step, a hand extended. “I might be able to help--!?”</p><p>“Too late, Megaman X. After you kill me… use this information… to stop them…”</p><p>Crystal Snail seemed to grow weak for a moment, sagging to one knee, his optics closed. The next breath, he was standing, his optics opened with malicious focus… and the full haze. “You’ll find killing me difficult, however.”</p><p>“…Please stand down,” X whispered more than said, his optics wavering with emotion. The toll Crystal Snail’s efforts had to have taken on him…</p><p>Crystal Snail snapped a hand back to the console behind him, and pressed a flashing control that had been waiting. The room gave a building hum around them.</p><p>Abruptly, Snail pulled into his own shell, and it rocketed straight up. X started to dash for the console, but Snail burst out of his shell, and his antennae crackled, then pulsed as the Maverick straightened his entire body with the focus of whatever he was doing.</p><p>A distortion swept through the chamber from his head, and X’s optics flared as he realized his body was simply not moving fast enough anymore. His eyes turning was slowed, his sensors and reaction time. The only thing still moving at normal speed was his processor, so he realized he was a sitting duck.</p><p>Crystal Snail dropped down only slightly slower than usual, and delivered a quick one-two punch, then a rocket-powered spin-kick to X’s chest.</p><p>X was flung back, his voice distorting into the air. He couldn’t even fly back fast enough from raw momentum. He was watching Snail charge after him, the distorting of the room seeming to rippled and dance off the Maverick’s body.</p><p>Just as Snail’s next punch was about to collide, X’s sensors finally gathered enough data to realize what was going on. It only made him more astonished.</p><p>
  <em>A localized time-space disruption? He’s literally slowing TIME down around himself?</em>
</p><p>The punch hit, and it drove X all the way back to the wall. His body still collapsing against the wall, X started to grimace, and watched Crystal Snail leap back. The distortion in the room eased, and X finished his crash, then crumpled down to his hands and knees at the base of the wall.</p><p>Crystal Snail held his hands out, globules of clear fluid flowing into existence beyond his palms. “You won’t be able to run from me anymore!”</p><p>With a quick twist, he flung both blobs at X.</p><p>With most of his normal functions back, X dash-burst to his right, letting the globes hit, bounce, and burst around him. They seemed to form into crystalline structures right before completely collapsing.</p><p>Before X could close in on Snail, however, the Maverick burst into the air again, unmistakably going for another distortion pulse.</p><p>“Time to get serious!” X hissed at himself, and tried to leap up after the other Reploid.</p><p>The pulse rushed out faster, however, and Crystal Snail did a full rocket-shell ram down into X’s chest.</p><p>It carried X all the way to the floor, smashed him into it, and the Maverick just somersaulted off with a faint chuckle. His voice was not as warped by the chamber.</p><p>“Time warps will really jack up a processor, won’t they, my boy? Overclocking yet? Or did Dr. Light give you the wherewithal to withstand even that?”</p><p>X grimaced slowly, trying to rise up, but felt how slowly he was moving by comparison to the Maverick. <em>I need a weapon that moves independently of me. I can’t possibly keep up… wait…</em> An idea lit his optics, though he could see Snail rushing forward for another attack, this time a globule waiting in his left hand in addition to his right fist.</p><p>X’s colors started to switch to reds and purples, and he was pulling his arms in to counter Snail’s attacks, but he simply couldn’t keep up in the warped environment. Crystal Snail socked him in the jaw, and then slapped the crystal blog down into his feet before leaping away.</p><p>The distortion finally eased, but X’s colors snapped to his desired weapon as he looked down to find his feet locked down by crystals. He couldn’t move, though he did give a few test yanks. Sighing faintly, his busters activated, revealing top-open weapons with volleys of spiked discs ready to launch.</p><p>“Do you really think firing at me is going to help?” Crystal Snail taunted with a faint chuckle.</p><p>X looked up at him. “A little.”</p><p>The Maverick smirked as he lunged into a fresh distortion pulse. X was already sweeping his arms from forward to back, unleashing a cloud of magnet mines in every direction. The distortion took hold, and he was left hanging there, his arms back, head bowed, looking up as Snail started to charge in with a laugh.</p><p>Snail started to simply step around the first mine, but then his optics flared as it warped toward him by proximity, and ignited.</p><p>Even in a warped time-space environment, the explosion was several fold the speed either of them could move. Crystal Snail was washed over with fire and force. He was apparently more tied to the distortion than X had thought, as the blow sent the Maverick skidding to one side, and the distortion effect ended abruptly.</p><p>As a result, the rest of the cloud of mines ripped along, and slammed into Crystal Snail like a swarm of angry hornets, blasting and ramming him back until he crashed against a wall and fell to one knee, his shell crashing down off his back.</p><p>The crystals finally degraded around X’s feet enough as well, and he dashed free.</p><p>With a rush of air, X was on top of Crystal Snail, a mine aimed directly into the Maverick’s face.</p><p>“Stand down.”</p><p>“And you’re… just B-class?” was all Snail said before trying to lunge up at him.</p><p>X fired once, grimacing, and the smoking remains of Snail’s body crumpled down beside him.</p><p>Sighing, X let his colors and busters revert. “…This has to stop…” Then he crouched down beside Crystal Snail’s body. “See you soon, Snail.”</p><p>After the grim work of removing the buffer and processor, X hurried over to Crystal Snail’s console. He was deactivating the jamming system’s the mine had been using, and also confirming the data Crystal Snail had stated before attacking.</p><p>Just as a grid-point for the X-Hunter base appeared for him, his comm activated externally.</p><p>“X, do you read me?”</p><p>X touched his comm. “Alia, I copy. Crystal Snail is down, and I have immediate-action intel.”</p><p>“North pole?”</p><p>He could hear the controlled urgency in her voice.</p><p>“…Yes. Their base is activating then?”</p><p>“Exactly. I’ll port you back for the debrief.”</p><p>“Thanks, Alia.”</p><p>As the blue light washed over him, X glared at the map screen showing the base’s location. <em>You’re always one step ahead…</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Servants</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dr. Cain, Signas, Alia, and X were in the command center of headquarters, surrounding the holomap table. With the base in the arctic activating, they had an actual map thanks to the thermal readings spiking.</p><p>“Well they certainly don’t waste any time,” X muttered, rubbing his chin.</p><p>Dr. Cain spoke, “I’m close to reactivating Zero, but I still need more time to finalize the system checks. This,” he gestured at the map, “can’t wait, however. Lt. Alia, do we have enough data to launch a mission?”</p><p>“Yes, sir,” she answered, datapad in hand. “There’s interference around most of the structure, so I can’t say it’s not a trap, but I can teleport into the Western wing of the facility they’ve built under the ice.”</p><p>Signas leaned onto the table. “They likely have mechaniloid forces preparing to attack in large numbers, similar to Sigma’s attack from his floating fortress during the last Maverick event.”</p><p>Hearing Signas talk about Sigma like that was a little jarring for X and Alia, but they showed no outward sign of the emotional twitch. Instead, X nodded and added, “I agree. We should deploy our naval and air fleets. We need to try and contain this. I’ll head in. It’s probably those ‘X-Hunters’ running the show here, and I’ve gotten a taste for how they operate.”</p><p>Dr. Cain frowned faintly, but nodded after a moment. “Agreed. Alia, operate for our lone-star hero, would you?”</p><p>It let a mild laugh pass around the table.</p><p>“Get to the teleportation field, X,” Alia finished with a nod to the door, already heading for her own console.</p><p>X saluted, and boosted out of the room with a rush of wind.</p><p>On their private channel, Signas added, //I’ll get Crystal Snail situated while you’re handling this mess, X. Him and Magna Centipede should be up and running within the week.//</p><p>//Thank you, Signas.//</p><p>Dr. Cain simply started out of the command center himself. “I’ll see if I can’t get Zero out of bed. Lazy bones.”</p><p>The ironic turn of phrase made Signas, Alia, and a few others in the command chamber, including Dex, share a morbidly amused glance.</p><hr/><p>X boosted out of his teleportation field as soon as it splashed down inside the facility. Energy shimmering over his frame, he kept rushing, wasting no time. His face was a mask of battle.</p><p>“Damn! X? That interference… spreading!” Alia’s voice reached him with a loud burst of static in the middle.</p><p>“I copy, Alia. Do what you can!”</p><p>Two tones responded. Apparently she could still get partial signal through, but not enough for audio data. X clicked his comm twice to reciprocate.</p><p>Leaping to meet the first mechaniloid to greet him, X started to twist around. It flared a plasma shield over its large iris as he did so. X fired once, spun faster, and fired again. It tore the plasma shield away, and ripped the hovering iris apart.</p><p>Dropping down through lower halls of dull gray bulkheads, X boosted into their lengths. Reaching a tall shaft, he frowned, and then started to kick-climb the wall, boosting from point to point to try and keep up momentum.</p><p>That was when the wall pitched, and they all started to clamp in around him. Activating his sensors as he kept rushing upward, X finally caught sight of the mechaniloid ratcheting the walls closer together by special tendril arms and claws. With another dash-jump, he twisted, and snapped off a plasma bolt. The mechaniloid blew apart as he reached the other wall. The tension it had been maintaining caused it to fly apart even more explosively, parts of it body lodging through the bulkheads around it.</p><p>X used part of it as a final grip-hold to flip up onto the next level, and only cast a faint glance around the wreckage before boosting ahead.</p><p>The next moment, he was juking and rolling out of storms of plasma lances. Scorpion-like mechaniloids were scuttling slowly toward him, firing tri-blasts from their open claws, filling the gaps with pulse-blasts from their tail-tips.</p><p>As he performed a particular twist and dash, focused on the mechaniloids, X’s torso actually soaked up the plasma lances nearest it, absorbing them through the vents in his new armor.</p><p>With a snap of his colors and a twisting flip over the charging mechaniloids, X left them twitching as plasma-saws cut them in half.</p><p>Reverting his colors, he kept rushing along. There was another vertical shaft, this time with oblong segments of wall that were harder to leap and climb, but he knew it was just another crushing trap. He charged power as he started the climb, and did another spinning flip as the walls pitched the first time. He fired a purple-blue shockwave of plasma straight up the center of the shaft, and was rewarded as he landed on the wall with a soft rain of parts. The walls stopped moving.</p><p>With a faint smile, he continued his climb.</p><hr/><p>It didn’t take much longer to reach a sphere-lock door, which surprised him. It whirled and snapped, hissing open for him as they so-often did, and he readied both busters, marching into the short hallway beyond. The second door opened into a large, cube-shaped chamber… with Violen standing guard at the door on the opposite side.</p><p>Violen actually cracked his knuckles into each opposing palm. “I’ve been looking forward to this, Megaman X. No tricks, no trades, just metal and plasma.”</p><p>X started to shimmer as he gathered power. “No tricks?”</p><p>The X-Hunter smirked. “Well… maybe a couple.”</p><p>Rock-like cubes shimmered into existence throughout the room, floating in mid-air at random intervals. Violen raised his arms with a laugh, and they all shimmered again, instantly shifting to a different arrangement.</p><p>“Dodge this!”</p><p>X started to dash forward as the hydraulic mace came hurtling in. He pitched around it, but his optics followed as it rose up, struck one of the blocks, and started to ricochet back at him even faster. Grimacing, X boost-flipped, barely carrying himself over the mace without getting mauled by the spikes.</p><p>“I’m going to tear it all down, X! Everything you’ve worked so hard to protect! Everyone you want to keep safe!” Violen ranted, continuously swinging his mace, letting it bounce madly through the blocks, keeping X dashing, flipping, leaping, and dodging around.</p><p>X scrambled along the ‘rocks’, letting the mace smash around in his wake, trying to get closer to Violen’s position while in their cover. The mace bounced off the corner of one block, however, and came ripping in after him much more directly than normal. X tried to dive out from it, but it clipped his left boot, and sent him hurtling down to the ground just behind Violen.</p><p>The X-Hunter twisted with a grin, and X frowned up at him from lying on the ground. Instantly one buster snapped up and fired, washing Violen over with purple-blue fire. Violen’s hand came down through it, however, grabbing X’s torso. Startled, X gave a shout as he was yanked up into the air, right into Violen’s steaming, but otherwise unharmed face.</p><p>“We’ve been preparing.”</p><p>That moment froze for X, locking gazes with the brute. Violen’s optics were clear. Vicious, murderous, but there was no haze. No infection.</p><p>X’s expression sharpened, and he brought his other buster forward, firing point-blank.</p><p>Again, the attack just washed over Violen’s frame as he laughed, and the X-Hunter wrenched X around, throwing him to the far side of the room. X hit the wall with a grunt, crumpling down. He was building power again even in that moment, however, glaring up at his adversary.</p><p>“You’re not infected,” X began, his voice dark. “You’re not being controlled.”</p><p>Violen spread his arms, letting the blocks shift orientation again as he grinned. “What can I say? I enjoy tearing things apart too much!”</p><p>“All those people,” the weather control facility, their scorched, screaming corpses; the dock attacks; the super storm over the city, “were slaughtered… and you enjoyed it. No infection. Just you.”</p><p>“It took you this long to figure it out!? How naïve!” Violen bellowed, and snapped his arms forward, unleashing a storm-volley of plasma bolts.</p><p>Enjoying that kind of death… Zero detonating himself, the woman bleeding to death in his arms, all the suffering and pain caused by this violence… X’s eyes dilated to points, and he suddenly ripped forward, snarling.</p><p>A one-two spin release of his charged plasma blasts tore a hole through Violen’s attacks, but just washed over the X-Hunter himself again. X kept charging, boosting straight into his enemy, still building power.</p><p>Violen smirked, and then dive-rammed his right fist straight down into X’s back with astonishing speed, the room shaking from the force of the impact. The armored floor was dented under X’s body as he went limp in the crater for a moment.</p><p>X’s voice came through muffled the next moment, making Violen twitch. It was completely calm despite being plastered into the ground. “You’re using a modified version of Bubble Crab’s shield and Magna Centipede’s magnetic disruptions.”</p><p>“Perceptive little brat,” Violen growled, and then gripped and snap-threw the Reploid away.</p><p>X flew back, but rolled over himself, and skidded back on two feet and one hand, the other up as a buster, energy building over his body again. He was already glaring up at Violen with that dark intensity.</p><p>Violen stomped forward one step, his mace bracing to one side, his hands prepping plasma bolts. “Just for you, I’m going to find that little Reploid you like so much. The blonde? We saw how nuts you went for her when you took out Flame Stag. I’m gonna do a lot more than tear her arm off when I find her, Megaman X.”</p><p>X’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t get to speak about people that way.”</p><p>“Oh? Not gonna let me near your girl, X?”</p><p>“She’s not something I could possess, you miserable wretch. I fight for her because she’s a good person, who cares more for people than almost anyone else. She’s the type of person I want to see in this world, and so I protect her if I can. She protects me, every moment, every mission, with her knowledge and her skills. I work with an amazing Reploid who could hand you your plates, Violen. You’re just the animal reducing her to a prize to be stolen because you’re a jealous programming glitch.”</p><p>Violen suddenly wrenched forward, arms aiming, mace ripping forward. “I’ll show you a glitch when I scrape you off the walls, X!”</p><p>X ripped forward to meet him, roaring as his arms swung back, both busters trailing power this time. The mace came rushing in from his left, but he simply leapt over it, sliding over the spikes like a fish through water, driving both arms forward together.</p><p>Before the first plasma bolts could reach him, X still shouting, he unleashed with both busters at full charge.</p><p>A shockwave ripped through the room from the release, and Violen was engulfed in a searing beam of purple-blue light that was nearly as wide as he was tall. The arms stopped firing, the mace hit the floor.</p><p>X landed at last, the body parts that hadn’t been erased by the plasma-beam rained down in front of him.</p><p>Letting his hands revert, X marched through the debris, his mood dark. “You’re not coming back to hurt anyone else,” he rasped. “<em>Anyone</em>,” he repeated, his entire body tensing with the emphasis.</p><p>The far door had been flash melted into a hole by his plasma beam, and X simply marched through it.</p><hr/><p>Dr. Cain eased back from Zero’s frame on the lab chair. He was a bit apprehensive, but stood by with his cane held by both hands as system gave gentle chimes and building hums. “Come on, come on,” he muttered quietly.</p><p>At last, the skin around Zero’s eyes animated, his pupils flashing.</p><p>The white-gloved hands gripped the arm rests, and eased their owner upright. Dr. Cain looked on with cautious hope.</p><p>“Are you back with us, Zero?”</p><p>Mostly overshadowed by the top-down light, Zero rested one arm on a raised knee.</p><p>“…I’m going to need a sword.”</p><hr/><p>As he dove into the water flooding the next section of the base, X sourly wondered if it was flooding because of errors during construction, or just to annoy him. Violen was haunting him already. It couldn’t deny the threats to Alia had churned up all of that rage and fear he’d felt in the geothermal plant, her scream running through his system over and over.</p><p>He should have given Violen a chance to surrender, but he also hadn’t even been sure the plasma beam would work. It was twisting in a vicious storm of guilt, pulling on the deaths he’d failed to stop… Vile’s death during the first war.</p><p>Submerged, he flipped around a propulsion pole, and drove himself to the next to avoid the spikes waiting to impale him on virtually every surface. When he could finally emerge, he had to pulse-blast a few tri-turret mechaniloids, and felt his system absorb the passing energy bolts he dodged. At the top of the shaft, he touched his chest, grimacing a bit.</p><p>
  <em>Fully powered again. I need to be careful. I feel like I’m slipping.</em>
</p><p>He started to dodge around mechaniloids instead of blow them apart, and he quickly hopped, climbed, and dashed around the various mechanical obstacles the base was trying to throw into his wake. He knew that even though he periodically had to climb higher, he was actually going much deeper into the ice.</p><p>It was almost surprising when the next sphere-lock door appeared. “…Already?”</p><p>He frowned, but proceeded. The moment he was through the little hall, however, he stopped on the first part of the floor he reached. His sensors immediately revved up to max as his optics coasted around, grim.</p><p>The chamber was massive, and even as wide as it was, it went on ahead of him for some unseen distance, lost in shadows. He stood on a platform that was clearly designed to break apart, separated into clean little circles of metal barely connected by latch-arms at the moment. He was basically standing in the center of a massive cylinder.</p><p>When the chamber began to shake, X braced, but was facing ahead without emotion on his face. It wasn’t distance blocking out the lights beyond, it was a massive machine. Slowly lumbering toward him was some kind of tunneling machine, the part facing him a wall of plasma turrets in radial patterns.</p><p>“I intend not to underestimate you again, Megaman X,” Serges’ voice echoed through the chamber, amplified by the machine apparently. “Especially since you showed you’re more than capable of killing your target when you need to.”</p><p>X’s optics narrowed, and he moved forward, but only to the next platform ahead of him. “I’ve killed many Mavericks.”</p><p>“I wasn’t talking about Mavericks.”</p><p>Anger twisted X’s face again, but he smoothed his expression out quickly. “So just going to grind me to pieces with this tunneling device then?”</p><p>“Whatever works!” Serges cackled as he finished, and the cannons started to power up.</p><p>“I’m not playing your version of this game,” X muttered, and seemed to curl in on himself, his arms crossing over his chest, his head bowing.</p><p>“Surrendering to your fate, Megaman?”</p><p>X opened his eyes at the platform under his feet, his pupils glowing red. “…You’re the only person to call me that, Serges.” He looked up, snapping his arms out as the plates and vents of his torso started to shift and open, exposing burning red coils that started to distort the air around him.</p><p>“You’ll never get the chance to f—!?”</p><p>X’s body lifted off the ground, his back arching as his eyes flared. With a pulse-flash, the room quaked, then was filled with searing fire and plasma.</p><p>X dropped down onto the platform immediately below him. Only it and three of its fellows around him survived.</p><p>The front of the drill machine was sloughing off, crashing down to the ground level as molten slag, the walls of the tunnel wider and scorched.</p><p>Serges was in a control-pod at the center of the surviving rig, the pod attached to tracks that spiraled and networked over the entire front of the machine. He looked quietly furious.</p><p>“You’re not getting past me, Megaman X,” Serges rasped, and then started working at his controls.</p><p>The pod started to race around the front of the drill machine, the front of it firing whistling globules of plasma energy. At the same time, the platforms under X burst apart and started to zig and zag randomly. It took X several moments just to regain his footing, especially ducking the exploding plasma blobs that sent smaller parts of themselves flying in every direction on impact.</p><p>X’s colors snapped to blues and yellows, his busters readying.</p><p>“You can’t catch me and dodge at the same time, Megaman!”</p><p>X flipped onto the next platform, and in mid-air he twisted, lashing out multiple times with each arm.</p><p>A storm of plasma cutters from Overdrive Ostrich came flying out. Serges cackled at first, but then shouted as his pod halted abruptly. He looked down, and saw one of the cutters embedded in the track he was using. Quickly glancing around, he realized he wasn’t the target. X was cutting off the entire rail system.</p><p>Serges tried to backtrack and rush along another path, but was halted again, and looked up in time to see X standing on the platform just in front of his pod, glowing with power, arms out to the sides.</p><p>“Stand down,” X rasped.</p><p>Serges’ narrowed his optics, and rammed a control forward, his cannon starting to fire.</p><p>X lashed his arms forward, unleashing a pair of super-charged cutters. They ripped through Serges and his pod, driving deep into the drilling machine, cutting a tunnel all the way to the far side of the chamber.</p><p>X let his colors revert, and leapt into the hole, where Serges upper body was still flickering with power, servo fluid leaking out from the severed arm and waist.</p><p>Serges spoke, but the voice was different. It sounded heavier with an accent. “He… is my… masterpiece…”</p><p>X glared into those dying optics. “…You reach out of the grave too much, Dr. Wily.”</p><p>The Maverick Hunter simply kept walking as the chamber behind him started to crash down under its own weight.</p><hr/><p>“Getting tired of climbing,” X muttered as he clambered the sixth long ladder since leaving the drill tunnel.</p><p>When he finally reached a new room, he climbed up, and heard an odd whistle on the air. He’d heard it before. With a quick charge, he pulse-blasted a shark-mechaniloid that was ripping toward him from the right. They were the same time that had tried to swarm him off of Wheel Gator’s mobile fortress.</p><p>Hopping over a ridge, he blasted the launch iris that had been the source of the flyer before it spat more out at him.</p><p>Able to look up, he frowned at the awkward platforms leading up to the exit above. There were strange tracks on the walls. Clearly some kind of lift or platform was intended for this room, not feet and hands.</p><p>That was when a discus-throwing mechaniloid hopped down from above. X tilted his head, realizing the bot was the perfect height… X’s colors snapped to a pale blue mixture of hues, and he dove out of the disc’s path. As the mechaniloid landed on a slightly lower platform to recover his weapon, X fired once. A crystalline globule flew out, and splashed over the mechaniloid. It was immediately trapped in a crystalline prison, frozen and unmoving.</p><p>“Sorry!” X announced as he pounced up, onto the crystal prison, and then higher up to the next platform.</p><p>There were floating control platforms in the next area, and X had to awkwardly pilot one through a series of spike-laden tunnels. The odd tracks were still abundant, and they didn’t seem to match to anything he’d yet seen. He kept his sensors on high as he blasted a few mechaniloids that tried to knock him off his platform.</p><p>Again, discovering a sphere lock door somewhat surprised him. <em>They’re relying on their own setups to defeat me? Or is this all just another huge distraction?</em></p><p>He stopped, and touched his comm, sending a few clicks through.</p><p>Two clicks responded. Alia was still there, and there weren’t any emergencies on their side… at least not yet.</p><p>Another series of clicks came through. Status request. She was checking in on him.</p><p>X sent back the coded version of ‘continuing the mission,’ and stepped through the door.</p><hr/><p>This room was by far the strangest. X glanced around as he stepped down onto a platform that had a huge, strangely shaped hole in the far left corner of it. Beneath that hole was simply another layer of the same type of textured flooring… though it appeared that the bottom of the layer he was standing on was studded with thousands of spikes.</p><p>Focusing up, he saw the chamber leading up into the shadows far above. “…Agile? You hiding this time?” It was the only ‘X-Hunter’ left, after all.</p><p>“Only waiting for a dramatic on-stage reveal,” Agile replied, his voice echoing from above.</p><p>X watched as a strange pod device lowered down on the far wall. It was disc-shaped, with pipes, spikes, and armor all around the top and bottom halves. The middle seemed to be a single ready-to-open hatch that would split to the top and bottom of the pod’s design.</p><p>Agile’s face was embedded in one side of it, interrupting the opening. He smiled. “What do you think of my new look?”</p><p>X was incredulous. “You built yourself into that… contraption?”</p><p>“Well it’s certainly going to trap you, Megaman X. Enjoy!”</p><p>The pod suddenly rushed out, ripping around the room above X. X braced watching its movements for several seconds. Then it froze abruptly off to the opposite side of him, Agile laughing. The hatch opened around the pod’s perimeter, and suddenly a new platform formed by blasting out of the pod in every direction, slamming into the walls. X was looking up at a ceiling of spikes.</p><p>Then ports in the walls around him opened, and missiles and plasma bolts stormed out in every direction. X had to side-flip, firing off a storm of bubbles to blast the plasma and missiles apart before they could tear him to shreds.</p><p>As soon as he landed, a loud bang resounded, and he looked up to see the new ceiling starting to crash down on him. Instinctively, he boost-leapt toward Agile, and rolled just under the pod before the ceiling smashed down with a cacophonous boom.</p><p>“Let’s watch you dance then, hunter!” Agile taunted, starting to rip around the room again, bouncing around like a mad bumper car.</p><p>X growled. “Time to get serious.”</p><p>He leapt to one wall, but watched Agile come hurtling toward it. He flipped off, and watched a shock-wave of electrical power rip out from where Agile hit the wall.</p><p>“Ah, ah, ah! Stay DOWN!” Another platform burst out.</p><p>X used his boost-dash to rip around the chamber for the missiles and blasts this time, then got himself under the pod just as the platform came crashing down.</p><p>This time, X tore up one wall, racing Agile to it, and finally got above the pod. He back-flipped off the wall just as Agile hit, dodging the electrical surge, and landed on Agile’s top half. With medium charge, X pulse-blasted various part of the pod, trying to crash it rather than completely blow it apart.</p><p>Agile snarled, wrenching the pod one way, then another, trying to throw X off.</p><p>Abruptly, the pod glowed, searing with heat. X gasped, and boosted off, and immediately had to bounce off the wall as Agile rammed it again.</p><p>X used silk shot to wrench some debris down into the floor behind Agile. Hearing it hit, Agile laughed, and fired another platform out… not realizing X was still above him.</p><p>X landed on the platform right in front of his face, and aimed his buster as the missiles and cannons below them both fired at nothing. “Stand down, Agile. This is over.”</p><p>Agile snarled, letting the platform drop. X simply leapt back, firing one more time straight into a hole in the armor he’d already punched through. It hit, and he landed below, looking up with a cold mask as Agile’s pod started to blow apart in clustering waves. Agile screamed and roared, but couldn’t stop his pod crashing down. It blew apart completely a moment later.</p><p>X sighed, and looked up. There was a hatch faintly visible several meters further up. “…Let’s finish this, virus.”</p><p>He started to climb.</p><hr/><p>As X climbed up into a large chamber that was dimly lit, he tapped his comm twice. This time, no one answered. “Sorry, Alia,” he muttered, and then glanced around.</p><p>Apparently in response to his presence, the chamber illuminated. X only became more confused. It was a massive chamber, filled with teleportation pods. Eight of them were active and waiting, a ninth, right in front of him almost, was inactive.</p><p>Activating his sensors to max, he let his perceptions be absorbed by the data rushing into his system. Wiring and circuitry through the chamber became apparent to him, as did a detailed map of the structure around him. There were large chambers beyond, but they were muffled by fairly sophisticated armor in the walls.</p><p>“…An activation loop. All eight teleports have to be used to turn them off, and only then will the last one function. Unless I can re-wire this entire room…”</p><p>He revved down his sensors. “None of them leave this facility. Let’s see what’s behind door number one, then.” He turned, and stepped up to the first teleporter on his right.</p><hr/><p>Splashing down into water made him blink, and then he looked up in the cube chamber as Bubble Crab dropped down into it with him. X turned dismal.</p><p>“This again? Eight teleports…” he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I know you’re a clone, but you’re still alive. Please stand down. You don’t need to die for this fight,” he said to the Maverick in front of him.</p><p>“You underestimate my devotion to the task before me,” Bubble Crab rasped, his plasma cutters flaring off his shoulders.</p><p>X shook his head. “No, but you’re programmed more heavily to obey. I can help you, just stand down.”</p><p>Bubble Crab answered by ripping through the water to skewer X on his cutters. X flowed aside, his colors snapping, and he scissored his arms across Bubble Crab’s middle, firing plasma saws as he did.</p><p>The clone was cut in half before his shoulder blades could even form, his optics flaring forward as he started to blow apart.</p><p>“…Sorry,” X whispered.</p><p>Before the clone finished blowing apart, X felt himself getting swallowed up in teleportation energy. He was slammed down in the center of the original chamber once again. Stumbling a bit from the harsher teleport, he dusted off part of his leg armor, and looked to his left this time.</p><p>“…And again.”</p><hr/><p>X skidded down on crystal-white sand, and glanced around at a surprisingly huge chamber. It was a self-contained desert. A faint howl on the air was the only warning he knew he’d get. His colors snapped to pale blues, and he twisted, firing a globule of crystal to his back left.</p><p>Overdrive Ostrich’s clone hit the globule in mid stride, and crashed at full speed, blowing a dune apart past X with his back.</p><p>“You’re innocent,” X called over. “Please stand down. There’s no need to hurt you. You’ve done nothing wrong.”</p><p>Overdrive Ostrich picked himself, but one leg was still covered in crystals. “You think so little of copies!”</p><p>“No, I recognize you as a unique person, not a copy. Just stand down, and you will not be harmed. If you keep attacking me, I have to defend myself. There is too much at stake here.”</p><p>Overdrive shattered the crystals on his leg, and started to rush forward. X was building power, and then snapped his arms to the sides. A distortion pulsed out, engulfing them both. Overdrive’s optics flared, watching X fire more crystal globs at him. The globs seemed to ignore the time-warp, and splashed over him, covering almost his entire body in solid crystals.</p><p>The warp faded, and Overdrive roared, shaking and thrashing in his prison of crystal. “I’ll tear you apart! I’ll rip you to scrap!”</p><p>“Just stand down!”</p><p>Overdrive trembled with fury and suddenly burst free, his body starting to whirl around to unleash a storm of plasma cutters. “You’ll stand down after I cut your legs off!”</p><p>X shot forward, drove his buster into the underside of Overdrive’s beak in mid-spin, and fired once.</p><p>Headless, the clone’s body was blowing apart still as X was pulled out of the chamber by another harsh teleport.</p><p>Taking a moment to collect himself, X exhaled, and stood up. He marched to the next teleporter on the right.</p><hr/><p>At first he thought he dropped into water again, but then he realized it was the murky mixture of lubricant and water from the super tank. X switched his colors, his busters turning into tendril-claw launchers.</p><p>“You don’t have to do this. Stand down, and I won’t harm you.”</p><p>“Little late for that, X.”</p><p>X rocketed out of the fluid, side-flipping as four different plasma-saws tried to tear through him from the corners of the room.</p><p>Wheel Gator came drilling out of the water below him, but X didn’t falter. His left buster fired a claw into the tip of the rotating Reploid. The twist yanked him to the far wall, but X simply landed on it, then fired the other claw, catching Gator at the waist. It was an awkward lurch that halted the Maverick clone’s momentum, and X yanked him back, slamming him into the wall.</p><p>Wheel Gator tried to wrench X back by the same connection, but X released the tether from the Maverick’s waist, held onto the snout, and lashed the other claw up into the center of the ceiling.</p><p>“Just. Stand. DOWN!” X yelled, yanking them both off the wall, and swinging Wheel Gator all the way across, slamming him into the far wall with enough force to dent the bulkhead.</p><p>The Maverick grabbed the tether, glaring up at X. “We will surpass the originals. We will please the master! Then we’ll be recognized!”</p><p>Wheel Gator yanked down, and it pulled X off the ceiling, splashing him down into the water. The Maverick revved up two plasma saws, and threw them into the water where X landed.</p><p>The water exploded, the plasma saws deflected out from a massive gripping claw that churned toward Wheel Gator, and nearly cut him in half as it pinned him to the wall. Only X’s twisted face and buster-arm were visible in the crater of the water he’d temporarily made.</p><p>“Your master is a psychopath! If you want to live, STAND DOWN!”</p><p>Wheel Gator started to whirl into his drill attack. “NEVER!”</p><p>X wrenched back, the water splashing back in over him. The massive super-claw took Wheel Gator all the way across the room, and smashed him into the far wall before he could start spinning. Then the claw yanked back, pulling Gator down into the water like a rip-tide.</p><p>X’s boots planted on Gator’s neck and waist, keeping him taut between the claw and both feet. “One last chance. Just let it go!”</p><p>Gator roared, looking down around his own face, and started to grab at X around the tether-chord.</p><p>X roared with exertion, boosting with both feet and ripping back with the super claw. It tore Wheel Gator’s body in half amidst an explosion of water.</p><p>X’s colors were reverting, the claw retracting into his arm as he watched Wheel Gator’s halves fall into the water. He couldn’t even sink himself before the teleporter yanked him out of the room.</p><p>Some of the fluid came with him, and he landed in a puddle in the central chamber again. Heaving himself up, he marched to the next teleporter.</p><hr/><p>This time, X landed facing his adversary. Wire Sponge twirled his blade-chords as the center of the ceiling crackled with energy. “Ready for round two?”</p><p>X’s colors snapped to blue and yellow, his busters igniting. “Please… stand down.”</p><p>“Stop offering. We’re not going to accept.”</p><p>A surge of power ripped down from the ceiling and washed over Wire Sponge even as he fired his tethers forward. X snapped his arms out in wide sweeps, unleashing a storm of plasma cutters.</p><p>Even surging with power, Wire Sponge’s optics widened as his chords were sliced to pieces, more cutters bouncing off the walls and flitting toward him. One cut through his head near the top, and his power surge halted, more slicing into his flanks and limbs.</p><p>X was already reverting his colors and busters, meeting the clone’s eyes across the gap between them as one last cutter bounced off the rear wall, and cut Wire Sponge in half. The clone started to explode as X was washed over with light.</p><p>In the central chamber, X sighed, standing up straight from the teleport. “Are you just trying to exhaust me now?” he shouted to the room.</p><p>Nothing answered.</p><p>Fists clenched, X continued to the next teleporter.</p><hr/><p>Landing on a bed of junk pieces caused X to switch to speed burner immediately. “Morph Moth, we don’t have to do this.”</p><p>“Oh, but we do.”</p><p>X twisted even as lines of junk started to tear back toward the little spider body Morph Moth started in. The Maverick Hunter started to twist, switch legs, and otherwise dance around the swiping lines of junk, while firing off blast after blast of speed burner.</p><p>As more flame burst and coiled around the spider body, Morph Moth started to stumble around, the junk crashing back down into the ground.</p><p>With a sudden whirl-rush, the spider drilled down into the junk, vanishing. X stood still, waiting, listening.</p><p>Morph Moth’s fully realized form burst out of the junk behind X, glittering pink dust starting to fly toward him.</p><p>X’s body was shimmering with power already, and he suddenly turned and lunged up at Morph Moth. His body ignited, turning into a flaming comet that carried him into Morph Moth, plowing into the top corner of the room, incinerating the dust that would have warped his circuits.</p><p>Kick-flipping off as he fired with both busters, X burnt both wings to cinders, forcing Moth to crash land on the ground with him. X trained both busters on the prone Maverick the next instant.</p><p>“Last chance. Stand down.”</p><p>Morph Moth glowered, and started to lunge forward, dust bursting off his wrists. “DIE!”</p><p>Two blasts of speed burner tore most of his torso apart, leaving the burning body to crash back limp.</p><p>When ported back to the main chamber, X just started marching for the next, his colors reverting.</p><hr/><p>This chamber was tall and round. X stood up straight, glancing around. He stopped when Flame Stag came bounding in from side to side, crashing down to a crouch across from X. Already, blue fire was rippling off his head in twin antlers.</p><p>Flame Stag sneered, fire igniting off his wrists. “I’m going to tear you in half, and then find Alia. I think I’ll rip off both arms this time, then take her head. What do you think?”</p><p>X’s expression was a morose kind of dark, eyes narrowed to slits. “…Stand down.”</p><p>“NO!”</p><p>Flame Stag ripped forward, ramming flames ahead of himself, all of it churning toward X like a siege blast.</p><p>X’s colors snapped to gold and yellow, and he shot to meet the fire wave.</p><p>The clustering burst made Flame Stag skid to a halt, X flying through the fire unharmed as his arms swept bubble-splash plasma out to the sides, cutting through the attack. He knee-rammed Flame Stag’s head back, landed, and their busters and hands crashed together as they leaned into each other, their bodies shivering.</p><p>“I’ll enjoy watching you burn to cinders this close!”</p><p>X had to smirk faintly. “I’m going to have to burst that bubble.”</p><p>Flame Stag twitched, and then they both fired. Bubble Splash tore the fire blasts apart before they could really get started, and continued on, blowing parts of Flame Stag’s arms apart. He reeled back with a shout of pain.</p><p>X stepped in, machine-gun-punching with both fists, inflicting a barrage of dents on Flame Stag’s chest plate before a final step-kick and thruster-blast sent the Maverick into the far wall.</p><p>Flame Stag stumbled forward, but parts of his body started to blow apart, his frame rattling and crashing to its knees.</p><p>“Too… powerful…”</p><p>As he blew apart, X was pulled out of the room by another teleportation.</p><p>Again, X marched to the next teleporter. There were only two active ones left.</p><hr/><p>It wasn’t immediately clear who he would facing in the next chamber, so X waited for a moment. Then he heard the alien whistle of Crystal Snail’s shell rushing through the air. The cloned leader of the Maverick team hurtled down from the ceiling, and popped out of his shell to land deftly, frowning up at X.</p><p>X colors switched, his busters converting to mine-throwers. “Stand down.” His voice was cold this time, his optics almost dead without emotion.</p><p>Crystal Snail smirked. “Even you don’t believe that’s going to happen.”</p><p>“But the offer stands.”</p><p>Crystal Snail started to snap into his pose to unleash the time-space distortion, and X twirled, unleashing a cluster-cloud of magnet mines already flying free of his body.</p><p>The wave of distortion passed through the room, and Crystal Snail whirled into his shell, rocketing forward. X started to dive side, though he knew he’d take the hit. The shell seemed to guard Crystal Snail from the mines quite well, and X was clipped on the side, sending him spinning off into the air.</p><p>It was when Snail stopped, turned, and landed, the distortion fading, that all of the mines he hadn’t hit suddenly came hurtling toward him. His optics flared, and he tried to rush back into his shell, but three of them caught him before he could make it in.</p><p>He was blown away from his shell, bounced along by four more mines that followed him, leaving him a smoking pile in the far corner.</p><p>X stood up, more mines ready on his arms already. “Last chance.”</p><p>Crystal Snail glared up at him, and then slammed something on his chest. A moment later, he blew apart from self-destructing. X’s eyes widened at this, but he was teleported out before he could react further.</p><p>Now with only one teleporter left, X sagged down to one knee for a moment. <em>I’m getting used to this slaughter… That’s the real loss. Stay focused, X. Don’t lose it again.</em></p><p>Picking himself up, he moved to the last teleporter, already switching to Silk Shot’s colors, his busters configuring.</p><hr/><p>Magna Centipede formed together with his unique shatter-teleport just as X arrived in the chamber with him.</p><p>“Ready for our rematch, X?”</p><p>X exhaled, and then met Magna’s eyes. “Please, just stand down. None of this fighting is necessary.” He nodded at his adversary. “Especially your expertise could help me find the virus’ core here, and end this.”</p><p>“Aw, that’s cute!” Magna Centipede posed, and started to burst apart.</p><p>X’s buster was up, and Magna’s body slammed back together instantly. “No,” was all X said, and then wrenched Magna around, slamming him into the far wall.</p><p>The massive claw-tail snapped apart, Magna Centipede stumbling aside. He started to teleport again, but X silk-shot him again, and flung him up into the ceiling.</p><p>Magna landed hard, and stumbled slightly. He stared at X with widened optics. “…Brutal, kid…”</p><p>“Stand down.”</p><p>Magnet mines were in Magna’s hands. “Now how it works!”</p><p>His arms wouldn’t move, X’s buster already up. The hunter wrenched backward, pulling Magna Centipede straight toward himself. Magna tried to unleash his mines, but his arms were held fast. X axe-kicked down into Magna’s head, smashing it down into the flooring, the torso crashing down on the mines, triggering them.</p><p>The clone’s body blew apart around X from the force of its own mines.</p><hr/><p>X appeared in the main chamber again, and the final teleporter was at last open and ready. The room also started to shake, the walls bursting and crashing apart all around him.</p><p>“It’s been a while, Megaman X.”</p><p>X glared up at the ceiling. “…Sigma.”</p><p>“I’ve been looking forward to this meeting. I have an old friend I’d like you to meet. You’ll find us in the computer facility. I suggest haste. That arctic base is about to melt itself down into the frozen depths.”</p><p>He felt the signal end, and then Alia’s voice burst through.</p><p>“X! Can you ready me!?”</p><p>“Yes, Alia. Sorry about that. I think Sigma finally cut the interference.”</p><p>“Sigma…? Again?”</p><p>X looked at the teleporter. “Yep. And he’s extended an invitation to the computer facility. This base is scrap. I have to try and end this.”</p><p>“…Understood. I doubt I’ll be able to reach you in there, X. Be careful?”</p><p>“As much as I can be, Alia. X out.”</p><p>The comm died, and X leapt into the teleporter.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. There's only one...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>X teleported into the computer facility yet again. “I knew this place wasn’t done with me,” he muttered, and then started running as power built over his frame.</p><p>Immediately he realized all of the Maverick Hunter forces were gone. Pulled out to surround the arctic base. At least it meant none of them were hurt. It just also meant he had to deal with iris mechaniloids and scanners again.</p><p>A few double plasma blasts and some deft dodging and weaving later, X was past the smashing blocks and most of the mechaniloids. He stepped through the power gate, and stopped short, staring straight ahead at two disturbing familiar faces.</p><p>Towering, with yellow and blue armor, Sigma stood with a confident smile on his bald head, his focusing gem gleaming in his forehead. He had blue, heavy gauntlets over his hands this time, with slots over the knuckles.</p><p>Down at his side, his hand on the shoulder, stood Zero, but with a black body, and paler skin. He seemed quietly vicious, his face etched with dark intent.</p><p>“So good of you to come, X. Look who I found!?” Sigma taunted, gesturing at his relatively shorter companion. “I’m afraid our old friend here has a bit of a problem with you, X. It seems you let him die… I wanted to let him return the favor!”</p><p>A strange, building hum muffled through the door behind X, all three glancing at it.</p><p>X’s optics flared as a green plasma blast flash melted through the door and wall, passing around his shoulder, and plowing into the black Zero, tearing half its body apart as it cried out with a distorted voice. Sigma was dodging aside, glaring at the door and hole.</p><p>A second blast tore through, down on X’s other side, near his feet. It brought the black Zero down to his knees, snarling.</p><p>The door finally slammed down, and a white hand flicked a saber hilt out in the shadows, igniting the green blade.</p><p>“You should’ve read the blue prints closer, Sigma.”</p><p>The speaker stepped into the light of the chamber, X caught in a momentary reverie at seeing that face and armor animated and alive yet again.</p><p>Zero half-smiled, his bright eyes glinting with a mixture of humor and battle focus, his saber burning out to his right. “There’s only one Zero.”</p><p>The black Zero shot forward, wrenching a purple beam saber out of his shoulder. Sigma hung back for a moment, quietly angry.</p><p>X twisted, busters up, but Zero flickered forward. He rammed the purple saber up, twisted, and took the other Zero’s head off with a single fluid rush, his blonde ponytail swirling past him, the trails of hair exposing his eyes, glaring at Sigma.</p><p>X hesitated, watching closely. Sigma started to smile faintly out of his dark mood.</p><p>“Zero… I know your secret.”</p><p>Zero’s left hand snapped into a buster again, his helmet gem and barrel starting to shimmer as he built more power in the weapon. “I don’t care.”</p><p>Sigma shimmered, and burst apart, teleporting somehow. Zero glanced around, then sighed, and let his buster power down. Sheathing his saber on his shoulder, he turned, facing X across the room.</p><p>“Sorry I’m late, X.”</p><p>X let his busters revert as well, bowing his head with a faint smile, eyes closed. “Seems like you’re right on time to save my plates. Like usual, Zero.”</p><p>Zero shook his head, and then suddenly dove down, ramming his fist into the flooring. A power surge went through his arm, and burst a whole clear through the armored flooring.</p><p>“Alia gave me the info we need,” Zero explained, rising up. “There’s some heavy hardware down there, but the power core for the facility is this way,” he pointed behind himself. Looking X in the eyes, he added, “You proved yourself, and you earned this. I have to go make sure this facility actually shuts down while you handle Sigma.”</p><p>X’s eyes tightened. “You sure?”</p><p>Zero smirked. “Gotta give the B-class rookie a chance to earn his stripes some time, right?”</p><p>X had to laugh a bit. “Fair enough. Stay safe up there.”</p><p>“And you, X.”</p><p>Zero turned, power building over his frame, and he unleashed another twin plasma blast to weaken the next door, then plowed through it with his beam saber, dashing out of sight.</p><p>X looked down at the gaping hole in the floor, and back to the shadows where Zero had vanished. “…Just like old times?” he whispered, and then leapt into the hole.</p><hr/><p>He fell for so long, far more than the mechaniloid facility that had started this whole mess. At last, he slammed down to a crouch in a simple chamber, glancing over to see an ornate processing core against the far wall, taking up most of that wall of the facility. There were arrays all around the remaining walls, apparently ready to broadcast some kind of signal.</p><p>Sigma teleported into view, smiling again. “You never disappoint, X. Ruthless and dedicated. You’ve slaughtered a lot of Mavericks to get here today.”</p><p>“That blood is on both of our hands, virus.”</p><p>Sigma’s optics sharpened. “You seem a little distraught, hunter. What’s wrong?”</p><p>X’s busters snapped into form, and power started to shimmer over his frame. “Stand down.”</p><p>Sigma laughed, and then braced down, arms crossed. Claws sprouted over his hands. “Please. You’ll find my new body far more PRECISE!”</p><p>He flickered forward, and X burst to one side, letting the claw tear up through the armored floor and wall. X returned a one-two plasma blast, but Sigma flickered between them, then braced down, electrical power surging off his frame, and coiling into a mass of sparking orbs over his body.</p><p>X halted, and eyebrow up. “Isn’t that what I used to fry your systems last time we fought, Sigma?”</p><p>“If you can’t beat ‘em…”</p><p>Sigma ripped forward, and the electrical bolts burst ahead like a swarm of insects, coiling toward X with almost animated intent.</p><p>X had to dodge, twist, and duck Sigma’s swipes while hopping, dashing, and skidding away from the discharges. Sigma was churning up the metal floor trying to claw into X’s hide, shouting and grunting with effort as he skidding, teleported, and slashed.</p><p>Glowing with absorbed energy, X side-twisted through a storm of electrical attacks, just folded his head under a claw swipe, and as Sigma was twisting to stab down with his other claw, X fired a blast up into Sigma’s chin.</p><p>The blast hit true, and Sigma was knocked up into the air, over himself. He didn’t seem terribly injured, but then flared his optics down at the second blast that slammed into him in mid-air, sending him crashing into the far wall.</p><p>Sigma crouched for a moment, seething as his claws scraped the ground. X stood calm and steady, more power building over his frame.</p><p>With a burst, Sigma was on X, stabbing down. X was hopping up, and Sigma was back-hand slashing up at him, starting to sneer over his shoulder at the smaller Reploid. Their eyes locked, and Sigma saw the cold focus in X’s optics this time.</p><p>Boots aligned, X air-dashed just out of the claw-swipe’s path, and fired both fully charged blasts into Sigma’s back, finishing his flip and landing to a neat crouch.</p><p>Sigma howled, crashing and skidding into the far wall.</p><p>“You lower your defense field you stole from Violen when you go for a slash,” X explained, slowly standing and turning, his eyes dilated for his enhanced sensors.</p><p>Sigma slowly stood up, but his body was badly scorched and leaking fluids now.</p><p>X adjusted one gauntlet as more power bled over his body. “Serges… he was Wily’s back-up plan, wasn’t he? A self-modeled engineer Reploid who could try the whole thing again?”</p><p>Sigma frowned, clenching his fists. “You’re not the naïve little Reploid I fought the first time.”</p><p>“And you’re not Sigma Enigma, virus.”</p><p>“Figured it out, hm?”</p><p>“We had this conversation before. Your lack of memory indicates your different clusters don’t communicate once you’re engaged directly. Smart, it keeps them safe, but it also means you’re missing part of the picture.”</p><p>Sigma glared. “Clever. Well, with that out of the way, then, I’ll skip to the good part.” He smiled as his body started to blow apart, crashing down into a pile of smoldering parts.</p><p>X braced again, fists clenching out of his busters, but his power still shimmering over his frame.</p><p>The whole chamber started to hum, and then X looked up as an image of Sigma’s head formed out of nothing, formed of blue light and red glowing where the optics should’ve been.</p><p>Still using his sensors, X’s eyes tightened. <em>A hard light construct? Data given physical form. That’s what this chamber is actually for, and the power draw it would require… that was the surge. They were testing this.</em></p><p>Sigma’s hard-light head focused on X with another smile. “I’ll infect you, X! Then it’s all over! With your Dr. Light-constructed body, I’ll be invincible!”</p><p>Mechaniloids were teleported in around the head, and they all came surging after X together. X flash-melted the mechaniloids, and dove out of the construct’s path, skidding along and then boosting around the room, scanning it still.</p><p>
  <em>Too many emitters to just blow them all up. Maybe… an overload. Drive the physical interactivity to the limit for it? Sounds about as good as I’ll get.</em>
</p><p>X’s colors shifted, and his busters formed claw-chords.</p><p>“What are you going to do? Ram me into a wall?” Sigma taunted, rushing down at X again.</p><p>X fired one claw, hooking it into the hardlight face. The entire chamber revved, the massive processing system whirring with strain on impact.</p><p>Sigma’s head rushed back, just light for a moment to recover.</p><p>X smirked up at the angry floating face this time. “I’d say I’ve got a bone to pick with you, but you’re just a wire frame on a power generator.”</p><p>Sigma’s head snarled, and rushed down, more Mechaniloids teleporting in. X shot forward, just under the rushing head, and he tore the mechaniloids apart with his boots and thruster jets. Firing a claw clamp into the back of the floating head made the facility strain again, and Sigma vanished for a moment.</p><p>“I’m not playing games, X!”</p><p>X felt energy surge around him, and he dashed aside. Sigma’s head appeared where he’d been standing, then vanished.</p><p>Keeping his sensors on full, X dashed, leapt, juked, and bounced around as Sigma’s head tried to form around him and catch him. Determining the pattern somewhat, X was able to fire off a few more claw attacks, ramming the hardlight construct and stressing the massive processor at the heart of the facility each time.</p><p>This time Sigma stayed gone for several minutes. X braced, waiting. He felt the surge, started to dash, but it was faster this time. Sigma had formed around him, and X could feel his systems getting assaulted from every possible data point.</p><p>It was trying to infect him! The light construct offered data entry systems as much as a physical mask.</p><p>X started firing his claw into the inner surfaces of the construct with both arms, each one hurting the processing, shaking the facility, but Sigma snarled and stuck to him like glue even as they both rushed and bounced around the room, trying to escape and hold in a constant war of wills.</p><p>Finally X rammed both claws into opposite sides of the construct, and started to ratchet them closer without letting go, trying to crush the construct in on itself around him. The system battle was constant internally, but just when he thought his defense programs might buckle, he calmed, a wave of peace washing over him.</p><p>He saw Dr. Light, smiling warmly, and giving a little nod.</p><p>A scream from Sigma interrupted X’s vision, and he felt the claws finally win, crushing the hardlight construct in on itself.</p><p>At the same time, the processor started to explode. X stumbled back, watching in shock for a moment. The light construct reappeared above him, twitching and writhing.</p><p>“T-the power… core… Curse you, Megaman X… Not again! …But… I know… Zero’s secret… He’s… last of the doctor’s… creations…”</p><p>X glared up at the twitching hologram.</p><p>“…We’ll… meet again… Megaman X…”</p><p>“I’ll find you,” X chose to reply.</p><p>The construct finally faded completely, and the chamber started blowing apart around him.</p><p>“X, get out of there!” Alia’s voice finally cut through the interference again. “Zero blew the core, you have to go!”</p><p>“Roger that. Teleporting out.”</p><p>He was engulfed in blue light, and warped out of the chamber.</p><hr/><p>X landed on a cliff near the computer facility, Zero standing there, both of them watching the facility start to collapse in on itself amidst smoke and explosions.</p><p>“You had me worried there for a second,” Zero chose to begin, his ponytail lashing in the wind from the blasts.</p><p>X slowly stood up, his colors and busters reverting fully. “Took your time with that power core, didn’t you?”</p><p>They both chuckled faintly.</p><p>They watched in silence for a moment. His optics tightening, Zero spoke more soberly.</p><p>“I’m sorry, X.”</p><p>“For what?”</p><p>Their optics met finally. “Making you feel responsible for my death.”</p><p>X shrugged faintly. “I was.”</p><p>Zero rolled his eyes a bit. “I chose to detonate my own core, X.”</p><p>“That’s not what I was referring to, but it’s in the past, Zero,” X finished, looking out again, his eyes reflecting the burning ruins of the facility. “I’m very glad you’re back, for everyone’s sake.” After a pause, he looked at his resurrected comrade again with a wan smile. “Let’s go home?”</p><p>Zero chuckled, bowing his head, and then nodded. “Sounds good, X. Give Alia the signal for us?”</p><p>X touched his comm. “Alia, we’re out safe. Mind getting us a ride home?”</p><p>Her relief was clear. “My pleasure, gentlemen. Commencing transport.”</p><p>They both flickered and vanished in streams of light.</p><hr/><p>Zero, X, Alia, and Signas were standing in front of Dr. Cain’s desk at Maverick Hunter headquarters.</p><p>“Thank you all for coming. I know clean up is still keeping us all very busy, but I wanted to keep you updated on a few things,” Dr. Cain began, his tone grave.</p><p>“So what’s the story, Dr. Cain?” Zero prompted casually.</p><p>Dr. Cain stood up. “With the reports from that battle with Sigma, it’s clear we’re dealing with a virus of some kind. I’ve had to notify the human authorities.”</p><p>Alia’s eyes flared subtly, X’s jaw clenching, but Signas and Zero seemed unfazed for the moment.</p><p>“I don’t want a panic,” Dr. Cain continued. “I’ve managed to ameliorate the higher ups with your success,” he gestured to the four of them. “Crushing this Maverick group earned us a lot of good favor with the very governments that this whole mess has brought together. They don’t want a panic either, so for the moment, the fact that we’re dealing with a virus is classified information. However… they’ve authorized security-clearance-accessible labs to start research into anti-virus options.”</p><p>Alia didn’t risk glancing at X, but her peripheral vision caught his narrower eyes.</p><p>Zero crossed his arms. “Sounds logical to me. If we can cure the infection, this problem ends.”</p><p>“Indeed,” Signas chose to answer calmly.</p><p>Dr. Cain focused on X. “You seem concerned, X.”</p><p>X offered a wan smile. “I am, but we all are. Do we know what labs will be engaging the research?”</p><p>“I will soon. Obviously, that list is as secured as the knowledge itself.”</p><p>“Of course,” X tipped his head.</p><p>Alia adjusted her datapad. “I have all the documented Maverick parts we’ve recovered catalogued, Dr. Cain. It might help speed up the process?”</p><p>“Thank you, Alia. Please forward me that data as soon as possible. Well done, each of you. I just thought you ought to know what was going on. Dismissed.”</p><p>Once the four of them were out of the office, Zero turned to Signas. “I’ve heard good things about you, Signas. We haven’t had a chance to really meet yet.” He offered his hand.</p><p>X and Alia watched with quiet fascination at the interaction.</p><p>Signas took the hand and smiled warmly. “An honor, sir. I’m glad the legendary Zero could join us again.”</p><p>Zero chuckled, and patted Signas’ shoulder. “We’re all doing our job, officer. I’ve got some clean up to help with myself. Alia, X, you all take care.”</p><p>They shared nods, and Zero jogged off, his boots snap-clicking on the way.</p><p>Visibly, the trio left shared nods, and started to separate. However, they started using private comms as they did.</p><p>//There’s no way they can make an anti-virus that will actually work reliably,// Alia started.</p><p>//No,// Signas returned, //but if we try to block their efforts, it will only raise suspicion. X, I assume we’re continuing on as before?//</p><p>//Exactly. There’s a big difference between trying to tackle a virus, and actually curing this one. Alia, do you think you can get a hold of that list of labs… discretely?//</p><p>//You’re kidding, right?//</p><p>//Had to ask, first…//</p><p>//Hah. I’ll have it for you as soon they make it.//</p><p>//Thank you, Alia. We’ll have to watch those labs like hawks. They’ll be prime targets for the Wily Virus to take action again.//</p><p>//Understood,// Alia and Signas replied.</p><p>//Now let’s finish up the clean up as best we can. Any word on our new comrades, Signas?//</p><p>With a little chuckle, Signas confirmed, //They’ll be entering training soon.//</p><p>//Thanks, Signas.//</p><hr/><p>“Hey Blast Squirrel!” Cadis greeted warmly. Her rifle was collapsed and folded onto her back with her slightly modified battle-body.</p><p>Blast Squirrel chuckled and gave a casual wave as he leaned against the counter in the mess hall. “On the way to that meeting, too?”</p><p>Cadis nodded. “Yep. Stop here for a charge?”</p><p>“And sizing up our competition for that sparring tournament they’re gonna hold later in the month,” he added with a wry smile, tipping his metal snout to the rest of the room.</p><p>Various mats had been set up across the large mess hall, and various pairs of Reploids were wrestling or fighting in practice matches. It was a fairly wide spread of veterans and new recruits, to keep people focused and busy despite the current ‘war’ being resolved.</p><p>Cadis found the view amusing, and giggled a bit. “I think I’ll be passing. I know we need to be able to fight hand to hand, but I’m wasted on melee. Pretty much all the talent I’ve got is on this,” she raised her shoulder and gestured at her inactive rifle.</p><p>Blast Squirrel chuckled again. “You should try it out anyway. You’d be amazed how much you’ll learn, even from an early loss. The right punch or kick can save your life as much as a precise plasma bolt.”</p><p>Cadis sighed glancing out again. “True enough. Seeing X fight definitely showed how important it is to have a combination of abilities.”</p><p>“You saw X fight?”</p><p>Self-consciously flicking some hair, Cadis tipped her head. “My inspiration for joining the Hunters.”</p><p>“Gimme five for that, girl. Damn.”</p><p>She laughed as they slapped metal hands. Cadis’ internal chronometer pinged, and she glanced out of the mess hall. “We should head over, right?”</p><p>Blast Squirrel twitched, and then hopped away from the bar. “Right you are. Lead on, Cadis.”</p><p>It didn’t take them long to go to a higher level of headquarters and reach the right meeting chamber.</p><p>Inside, Alia was standing up from one of the seats, along with two new Reploids.</p><p>“Ah Cadis, Blast Squirrel. Right on time,” Alia greeted warmly. “I wanted to introduce you two to our new recruits, and see if you wouldn’t mind showing them the ropes?”</p><p>Cadis grinned, waving at the new Reploids, and Blast Squirrel offered his hand. “No problem. I’m Blast Squirrel.”</p><p>“I’m Cadis,” she chimed warmly.</p><p>The first Reploid was a tall, thin creature with sharp optics and clamp claws over his hands, along with a long, articulate tail with a claw of it sown. He had elongated horns over his head of the same style, and his black and silver coloration left him a rather menacing figure. He smiled cordially, however, and shook the hand offered. “Mapteron.”</p><p>The second lumbered forward. He was unmistakably turtle-like, but was built strong rather than with thin limbs. Blue and dark brown were his most prominent colors. He also seemed to be built ‘old’, with a mustache-like plat over his beak-like mouth. He smiled lightly, shaking hands. “Warp Turtle.”</p><p>On the private network, Blast Squirrel had to joke, //Magna Centipede and Crystal Snail turning into an earwig and a turtle? Cutting it a little close, boys?//</p><p>The ‘new’ pair gave him a playful glare as Cadis glanced to Alia to take the datapad of information she wanted covered.</p><p>“You four all set?” Alia began, arms akimbo.</p><p>“Yes, ma’am,” the four replied, saluting.</p><p>Alia saluted back with a smile, and left them to their business.</p><p>Cadis turned to the others as she backed toward the door. “So what made you two want to sign up?”</p><p>“Eh, that last Maverick mess got a lot of good people hurt,” Mapteron began. “I’d like to help if anything else happens.”</p><p>“Much the same for me,” Warp Turtle added. “Though I’m more on the technical side of things than combat.”</p><p>“I started as a techie myself. We’ll get along just fine, hm?” Cadis affirmed with a laugh.</p><p>The four of them shared the light mood as they started down the hall together.</p><hr/><p>Signas blinked up at Zero. They were outside Dr. Cain’s office again. Signas quickly saluted. “Coming or going, sir?”</p><p>Zero chuckled, and saluted back. “Coming. Looks like he called us both at the same time.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t want to intrude, sir. You go ahead.”</p><p>Zero wave it down, and touched the door control. “Dr. Cain, it’s Signas and me.”</p><p>The door hissed open, and Zero gestured for Signas to follow. Signas chuckled a bit, and did so.</p><p>Dr. Cain turned in his chair, smiling warmly as he faced them. “Thank you both for coming! I wanted to let you two know a couple of things before they get announced publically. Have a seat, boys.”</p><p>The two Reploids shared another faint smile, and did as requested. Zero leaned back casually, legs crossed. “So what’s the word?”</p><p>“First, Zero, you’ll officially be reinstated as a unique S-class Hunter, and head of a private unit. Unit 00. Not much is different, beyond you answering directly to me, outside of the normal command chain.”</p><p>Zero raised his eyebrows. “Sounds like a cushy gig. How did that get cleared? Is X on that unit?”</p><p>Dr. Cain’s mood fell slightly. “Your reputation earned it, Zero. And no… X is not on that team. Due to various issues, he’ll be remaining at B-class. Chain of command concerns and such.”</p><p>Zero seemed intrigued, but just nodded. Signas, thus far, kept his reactions silent.</p><p>“And you, Signas, in a very short time you’ve distinguished yourself as an exemplary officer, and shown great gumption in situations that were technically over your rank. As a result, we’re bringing the official records in line with your capacity. You are hereby promoted to Vice-Commander of the Maverick Hunter Special Task Force.”</p><p>Signas seemed startled, and then stood up and saluted. “I’m honored, sir!”</p><p>Dr. Cain stood up with Zero, and offered a salute to let Signas return to at-ease. “It’s well-earned, Signas. Your rank upgrades will be shipped to you ASAP, don’t worry.”</p><p>“At your leisure, sir. I’ll do my best to honor the post.”</p><p>“I’ve no doubt, Signas. Well done.”</p><p>Signas glanced faintly at Zero. “May I ask a question?”</p><p>Zero shrugged, and Dr. Cain nodded. “Of course, Vice-Commander.”</p><p>“I assume Unit 00 is NOT under my purview, based on your statements to Zero?”</p><p>“Correct. Unit 00 is a special case for emergency situations. Any trouble I want to keep a personal eye to.”</p><p>Signas saluted again. “Understood, sir.” //Did you get that, X?//</p><p>//…Yes, thank you, Signas. And congratulations.//</p><p>//Heh… thanks.//</p><p>Dr. Cain offered a fresh salute. “Dismissed, gentlemen. I’ll contact you with any specific assignment concerns.”</p><p>“Sir!” they both replied smartly, and then left the chamber.</p><hr/><p>X was just stepping out of a research station in headquarters when Zero walked up to him. The paler armored Reploid smiled and saluted. “Sir.”</p><p>Zero smirked, waving it down. “When it’s just us, pass the salutes, X. I think we’re a little outside of normal rank issues these days.”</p><p>X relaxed, but shrugged. “Your call. You’ve outranked me from day one.”</p><p>Zero rubbed the back of his helmet. <em>Wonder when he’ll find out about my special unit…</em> “Eh, like I said, you’ve earned your bit of respect around here while I was out of the picture. Speaking of, can we talk for a minute? I mean privately.”</p><p>X was puzzled for a moment, but then nodded. “Wherever you prefer, Zero.”</p><p>Zero waved for him to follow. Just a few moments later, they were in a small meeting chamber, Zero lounging back in one of the chairs, boots up on the map table. “Take a seat, X.”</p><p>The other Reploid chuckled, and did so, relaxing back, but not lifting his feet off the ground. “So what’s on your processor, Zero?”</p><p>“More like what’s on yours, X. After we blew up that computer facility, what did you mean? What makes you responsible for my death?” Zero asked, quite serious and focused, his eyes tight.</p><p>X sighed a bit, but tipped his head, and answered, “I’m the reason Mavericks exist, Zero. This entire war is my responsibility, and everyone it claims.” Seeing Zero’s eyes constrict further, he added, “I’m glad it’s one less now. Are you okay that you were brought back? Would you have preferred to be left in peace?”</p><p>Zero chuckled, closing his eyes and bowing his head before he replied, “I’ve got a bone to pick with this Sigma-Virus myself, so I’m fine here.” He looked back up at his comrade, focused and grave, “Seriously, though, X, you can’t walk around with that kind of weight on your shoulders. Let that go.”</p><p>A bit awkward, X rubbed the back of his helmet, but nodded. “I’ll try, Zero.”</p><p>Zero stood up, X rising with him, and he offered his hand. “I’ve been reading up on what you’ve done while I was out. You’ve fought hard, X. That counts for something. Don’t forget it, okay?”</p><p>X shook his hand. “…Thank you, Zero. I appreciate it.”</p><p>The two shared a long, appraising look, and then their hands separated. Zero nodded to the door, and X let himself out, moving off down the hall. Zero let the door close, each of them looking down where they were.</p><p>“…There are a lot of secrets racking up around here,” Zero whispered. He drew his saber, ignited it to admire the glowing blade, and then nodded to himself.</p><p>“Whatever comes, I’ll handle it. My way.”</p><hr/><p>Alia was leaning on a balustrade on the roof of Maverick Hunter headquarters, and heard the door open behind her. She eased back, smiling with a hand on the rail as X appeared. “Thanks for coming.”</p><p>X smiled back, closing the door and walking up to join her, both looking out over the city.</p><p>“Sorry I didn’t do you much good in that whole mess,” Alia started quietly.</p><p>X gave her a sidelong glance. “Alia, you’ve kept the whole show running, and you got me the information I needed whenever you could.” He glanced back at the door. “Sigma’s efforts always throw us a few curve balls.”</p><p>“Bringing Zero back successfully has been a big boost to morale. I think he actually blushed a bit when he saw that statue they created for him.”</p><p>They shared a laugh at that idea.</p><p>“Speaking of Zero… what do you think about it?” //I mean for the team…//</p><p>“It’s a relief, but complicated.” //…Not yet, at least. Too many variables.//</p><p>//Understood.// “Having him back seems to worry you more than relieve you.”</p><p>X tipped his head. “It does. I think I just need some time to adjust. Too many possibilities in my head.”</p><p>Alia turned, leaning on her elbow and facing him, tilting her head down. “You know you’re not alone this time, right?”</p><p>A much deeper smile lit his expression, and he nodded. “Yes. Thanks to you.”</p><p>“Just me, huh?” she chided playfully.</p><p>“Friends help, but… I think you know what I meant.”</p><p>She nodded, and the bit her lip for a moment. He blinked at her, then was softly startled when she pulled him into a hug.</p><p>Immediately, X relaxed, and returned the embrace, holding tight. Alia smiled over his shoulder, her eyes watering a little. Once they eased apart, they relaxed on the banister again, just looking out.</p><p>“Do you ever think about what you’ll do after all this is resolved?”</p><p>X half-laughed. “Actually, yes.”</p><p>Alia grinned at him. “Oh? And what’s the big hero going to do then, hm?”</p><p>X eased back, both amused and anxious, swinging a little by his hands on the bar. “…Settle down, he hopes. With someone he loves.”</p><p>Their eyes met again. Alia’s smile remained gentle and warm. After that moment, they looked out again, and she added, “Well… we better fix this Maverick problem quick then.”</p><p>X shared her laugh, and they both eased from the balustrade. “Agreed. Regardless, it’s been a long day. Let’s go get a charge?”</p><p>“Sounds good!”</p><hr/><p>Depthcharge walked into the main lobby of headquarters, a little puzzled. He’d been summoned there by the reception desk, but it wasn’t clear why. His optics scanned around as he walked along, and then he paused, finding Jessica, who was holding something wrapped in her arms. Approaching her, he greeted, “Jessica, hello.”</p><p>She turned, finding him with her eyes, and smiled. “Hi, Depthcharge! Sorry for interrupting your day. I didn’t realize it was so busy here!” she waved around at all the Reploids milling about.</p><p>“It’s no interruption,” he said happily. “What brings you here?”</p><p>Jessica offered the wrapped item with her hands. “I wanted to give you something. It’s nothing big, but I thought you might like it.”</p><p>Depthcharge blinked, and gently took it, unwrapping it immediately. It was a picture of her grandfather, smiling, holding her as a little child. “Jessica… you’re sure you want me to have this?”</p><p>She smiled still. “Yes. I made a copy for my memories, but after everything you’ve done for me, I wanted you to have something from our family.”</p><p>It was clear to her, despite his robotic face, that the Reploid was deeply touched. He held the image carefully, and glanced to the doors, then back to her. “…Would you like to go for a walk? Talk a bit?”</p><p>Jessica glowed with her smile. “Sure!”</p><p>Depthcharge gestured, and they walked out together, talking pleasantly.</p><hr/><p>The mess hall rang with laughter that afternoon. Cadis was sinking back in her chair, covering her mouth as Blast Squirrel finished a story. Mapteron and Warp Turtle were both laughing despite themselves.</p><p>Sitting with them, still laughing, were Spikesaw and Snapvice. Pyrostrike and Airstrike were busy trying to argue some of the points Blast made, but were half-laughing as well. Quickman was leaning on the rail near them, rolling his optics at the pair.</p><p>Inferno leaned in with a smirk. “Aren’t you leaving out how handily Cadis blew apart the mechaniloid that nearly back-shot you?”</p><p>“Yep!” Turbo chimed in, lounging back a half-table away, his boots up in another chair.</p><p>“Bah, you guys are no fun!” Blast Squirrel retorted.</p><p>“You’re making it too easy,” Barrel retorted, sipping a charge module in his hand. “And since when do newbies get to brag about their exploits to the veterans, huh?”</p><p>A building ‘oh’ went around the whole table, even Airstrike and Shimmer joining in from their table just neighboring.</p><p>Overload and Deepfreeze came over from the sparring mats just off to the side.</p><p>“What’s all this then?” Overload chimed in.</p><p>Cadis gestured across the group. “War stories from the simulator, apparently.”</p><p>“Ey!” Blast Squirrel protested.</p><p>Deepfreeze laughed for once, and hopped over the rail. “Brave Reploids and their fine simulator?”</p><p>Airstrike pumped a fist. “Hey, it got me a post in the fleet!”</p><p>Snapvice chortled. “I’m just glad I get to log more simulator time rather than fights brewing for a bit.”</p><p>A resounding agreement came from the cluster of tables.</p><p>Tripwire was just walking into the mess hall himself that moment, and quirked an optic ridge at the laughing group. He shook his head, and started toward the charge station to get himself a quick mobile-charge.</p><p>“Hey, Tripwire!”</p><p>He blinked, turning to see Cadis waving him over. “Join us for a cycle or two! We’re having a grand time!”</p><p>Spikesaw joined in waving him over. “Cadis is right, get over here ya lanky whiplash.”</p><p>Tripwire cleared his voice-box, and plucked a charge canister off the bar, then came over, dropping himself down between Cadis and Airstrike/Shimmer’s table. “And what’s all the fuss, hm?”</p><p>Cadis laughed, gesturing to Blast Squirrel. “We’re just discussing the finer points of simulator scores and their importance.”</p><p>“So… nothing?”</p><p>Another ‘oh’ went around the group, and laughter kicked back up. Blast Squirrel swatted Tripwire’s shoulder, and the new arrival just raised his hands.</p><p>“It was right there, I had to.”</p><p>The group continued talking pleasantly as a big ring, Cadis getting surprisingly detailed tips and advice from the other, recognized veterans, especially Inferno, Pyrostrike, and Deepfreeze. At one point, Tripwire reminded the three of them she saved X’s hide once already, and Cadis blushed, but was grateful for the comment.</p><p>“Good to see you lot having a good time,” Dex said to announce himself.</p><p>The group greeted him casually, most of them melting back to their conversation as Quickman focused on him. “And what brings you down here, Dex?”</p><p>“Wanted to ask you a favor, Quickman.”</p><p>The bladed Reploid blinked. “What kind?”</p><p>“Was wondering if you could offer me some pointers on hand-to-hand combat. For emergencies and the like.”</p><p>Quickman piqued an optic ridge. At first he was thoughtful, but then he smiled. “I’m a bit of task master, Dex. You sure?”</p><p>Dex offered his hand. “Yeah. I’d like to learn from the best.”</p><p>The two shared a warm, knowing smile, and Quickman shook the hand. “You’re on.”</p><hr/><p>A dark room lit from a single screen clicking to life. A digital display of Sigma’s face appeared, both grim and satisfied.</p><p>“So… it’s a cure they want, is it? I think we can arrange that. Can’t we, Dr. Doppler?”</p><p>A shape stepped out of the shadows, a long pointed beard and towering shoulder armor crackling with energy. The optics were already hazed with infection.</p><p>“Yes, master.”</p><p>
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</p><p>End Chronicle 2</p>
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